When Time Freezes
by Brovaries
Summary: He was alive. After all the pain, he was alive and back for green lovin' action. Back from massive hiatus. BBxRae.
1. Courage

**Hi everyone! This is a little something I thought of an hour ago. I hope you enjoy it! Please review! It's kind of a different style. In my opinion it was nice. I really enjoyed writing it! Remember to review. (Is it just me or does the Teen Titans FF seem kind of dead?) I just didn't notice a lot of stories being written compared to the traffic months ago!**

**Garfield- Beast Boy. Rachel- Raven.**

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**Courage.**

He was starting to sweat. The nervousness was actually getting to the poor guy. What happened to the bold Garfield Logan that walked into the coffee shop just a few minutes ago? Just over the course of staring at the gorgeous black-headed vixen behind the counter Garfield almost melted into a puddle of fascination. He kept his eyes glued during the whole span of time she took pouring lattes into a customer's cup, pressing buttons on the cash register, and even rejecting advances made from her co-worker named Elliott. At least, that's what Garfield had read on his name-tag.

The noise from the crowd in the café was starting to shake the male out of his day dream. People were starting to notice him. They saw the guy wearing the knock-off shades his friend had bought him during a vacation in New York. They glanced at the man trying to look inconspicuous with the newspaper in his left hand. What Garfield didn't care to realize was that this paper he had stolen from a vacant table was upside-down.

The people noticed the man in the corner's failed attempt at looking cool wearing the Fedora. The creeping eyes signaled that it was time to make a move.

Garfield took a step forward, careful not to trip over the rowdy two year old boy that was banging the floor with a plastic spoon. He walked towards the counter and grinned to himself. No customer was there. It was just the female he hoped to get closer to. She pulled her head up from the PDA she grabbed from her pocket and glanced around. Garfield sighed. She was so pretty. Her hair was flowing over her shoulders in peaceful waves. And her face.

Her face brought a rare excitement to Garfield. She looked serene with a mild smile on her face. Many people would say that the woman was hot-headed and sustained a sarcasm-dripped tongue, but Garfield didn't care. He knew that if there was one person that could win her over, it was him.

No doubt. Garfield was now leaning over the area with spoons and forks. He heard a deep "ahem" and quickly moved away muttering a simple "sorry".

He grew closer to where she stood and he stopped dead in his tracks. What would he say? What would he do? Would he say something offensive making her scream at him?

He just needed to calm down. He'd make something up. Something witty yet romantic would hit him.

Suddenly he noticed her go back into the kitchen. This act merely gave him time to think about what actions he'd take to ask her out. Could Garfield ask her out to coffee? No, that would be stupid! She works at a freaking café. Surely she'd be sick of smelling dark Argentinean coffee beans. Would Garfield consider asking her to study with him sometime? No, of course not. He'd read somewhere that asking a female to do that might make them feel inferior. He didn't understand the logic of that, but it was better to avoid awkward situations. Maybe Garfield could start out with a, "Hi, I'm Gar--"

Wait. What the hell was _her_ name? Garfield started to take deep breaths as if he was a pregnant woman. A young teenager started to eye him curiously. All this time of staring at the pretty girl and he didn't have a clue of what her name was?

Suddenly she came back out. Without even noticing him in front of the counter, she started to pour a drink into a white foam cup. Garfield leaned forward and scanned his eyes over her apron. Without even getting to the first letter on the name-tag he quickly looked down at his shoes. That looked really bad.

He couldn't just start staring at her chest! But how else could he read her name? Okay, he was starting to get annoyingly paranoid. Garfield blushed and gripped the newspaper under his arm even tighter. He slid over in front of the register and looked straight at her.

_Rachel._

Rachel was her name. Garfield grinned. That was a nice name. It wasn't rare but it wasn't too common.

Suddenly they locked eyes. Garfield looked deep into her blue eyes as if he was reading what her soul had to say. It was like time froze. He couldn't hear anything. He just focused his energy on scrutinizing her face. She pulled away from his gaze and nearly dropped the cup she was holding. He couldn't believe his eyes. Garfield made her do a double take. Did she find him attractive? Strange? Geeky? He quickly pulled the Fedora off his head and inhaled a deep breath. Rachel looked at him again.

"How can I help you?" she spoke.

Usually whenever Garfield heard those words he'd reply with a, "Um, a Big Mac please."

Then he would grab his wallet.

But when she spoke Garfield almost felt like kissing her. The voice was so smooth and….velvety.

Velvety? Since when did Garfield use that word?

She waited for him to reply. He opened his mouth tentatively.

"You make the best cappucinos."

…At least it was a start.

It's not really something I'd continue. But if you would like me to, I'll think about it. I thought it was kind of cute. You know, the whole scenario of Beast Boy being nervous around a girl isn't an everyday thing, right? I apologize for those darn mistakes.

**Please Review!**

**-PRMS.**


	2. Impress

Thank you for the positive response on the previous chapter. Originally, it was going to stay a oneshot. But I just couldn't stay away! I hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: **Don't own TT.**

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Impress

She said no. Garfield spent three hours in that awfully air-conditioned café just thinking of how he could propose a simple date to her and she said no. In fact, Garfield didn't get through the sentence. " I'm Garfield and I was wondering if I could take you out to a nice--" was all he said when he was shut down. She said no.

Dissed. He could've sworn the teenager next to him was laughing at his misery.

Was Rachel that vain though? Did she think he wasn't good enough for him?

_Well tough bananas, _the blond guy thought to himself. He wasn't just going to take that. He was going to make his plan work because he did not spend three hours trying to figure out how he could show his moves to her. He'd have to be persistent. And sly. And cocky.

He was going to make this girl sweat.

Garfield grabbed the bagel from her hand and put on a stern look.

"Look, I just want one date. One date where you and me can figure out what we're all about."

That was good, right? It was thought out and non playful. She'd know he meant business.

Rachel looked into his eyes and laughed.

"Listen, you're holding up the line."

Garfield squeezed the bagel in his hand. "Come on! I spent three hours in here just figuring out how I could talk to you!" he was now whispering fiercely.

"I appreciate the offer but--"

"No you don't!" he interjected. Garfield eyed his money and grabbed it from her. She gave a look of confusion. "Either you accept the date or I take this bagel for FREE!" he was now laughing manically. The woman rolled her eyes and people in the line were starting to back away.

"You're so pathetic."

Was it true? Had she caused him to sink down to a four year old's level? This wasn't his behavior. It's just that…he felt he was compelled to argue with her. A deep feeling inside told him that she needed him more than he needed her. Right now Garfield discarded that feeling and felt total remorse for acting like a fool. She didn't need to take that. She didn't deserve that. But her face told other wise. Did she think she was some kind of love genius? She had put a grid-iron grip on him ever since the moment they locked eyes.

And…was she smirking at him?? It was true. This chick thought she was way too good for him.

Garfield sighed and gave the other customers a sheepish smile. He looked back at Rachel and threw the money on the floor. "Total bull," he muttered under his breath. He walked away impishly and pushed on the glass door. Worst day ever. Worst case of embarrassment ever.

Garfield sat on the oak bench in front of the café and a stuck his face into his hands.

_I'm the biggest idiot in the world. _

Maybe she already had a boyfriend. Maybe that would explain her behavior! Garfield dug his heels into the concrete beneath him and slouched. He decided to watch the sun set. While captivated by the purple and reds, he noticed the café was closing. Walking to his car, Garfield dug into his hands for his keys and unlocked the red Honda from 2005. He gripped the handle to the door and noticed the darkening sky. And he noticed a very lonely female standing at the edge of the street. She was calling someone. A taxi, Garfield thought.

And he also thought it would be a convenient time to apologize.

"Hey Rachel?" he called out.

She turned around and he could have sworn she smiled for a half a second.

"Garfield, is it?" she wondered aloud. His heart swooned. She remembered his name.

"Yeah um. Sorry for all the crap I did. I just…I mean…I don't want to sound arrogant but I just never get turned down."

She rolled her eyes. "Well congrats. It's your first time."

Well that was a defiant tone!

Rachel rolled her sleeves down and slid her hands around her arms. Garfield took notice and almost offered to lend her his coat.

"So are you waiting for anyone?"

"A friend was supposed to come pick me up, but I can see I've been given the cold shoulder," she said in a harsh tone. She leant against the building and kicked at the hard snow. Awkward silence.

"Well it's kinda dark. I could take you home…" he scratched the back of his neck, getting ready for the refusal to his request. Rachel gave him an odd look and stared straight ahead once again.

"I'm not supposed to ride with strangers," she shrugged.

Garfield laughed. "If you want, we could be friends."

Silence.

"Trust me, I'm not a crazy serial killer." He gave her a smile and held out his hand.

It suddenly seemed like the newfound friendship was crossing boundaries.

Rachel looked hesitant for a moment. She looked up the street again and started to play with her hair. Garfield waited. If he wanted to make her like him, he'd have to patient and soft.

"It'll be fun! Plus my car has really, really comfortable seats!"

Was it strange that he wanted to add, "But not as comfortable as my lap…"? Garfield nodded. Way too early to be cracking jokes like that. He'd probably make her slap him.

Rachel stuck her phone into her dark jeans and slid snow off her boots.

With his hand still out, Garfield gave her a grin and reached for her hand. She pulled it away ever so slightly. "Watch it."

He stepped back. Apparently, no one's messing with her. It had already passed ten minutes. _Where the hell is Anders?_ She wondered and took another long look at the street.

No car lights. She saw him stuffing mints into his mouth and gave him a quizzical look.

"If you think you're getting lucky tonight, I swear to God I'll knock the shit out of you."

Garfield's eyes widened and he sputtered the mints back out.

"Oh no! Trust me, I was…I mean I just wanted to…" he was blushing at this point.

He knew nothing more but a handshake was in store for him and her. He groaned.

"Please don't think I'm some kind of pervert."

She scoffed. "With what happened in the café and with what's happening now, it's getting harder and harder not to."

Garfield's ego was deflating by the second. He nodded and turned around.

"See you around." He mumbled, not even looking at her.

"Wait."

He glanced back, her shadow was bright because of the street lamp.

"I live in Silver Lakes. It's an apartment. Do you know how to get there?" she wondered. Rachel kind of seemed like she was…pleading. Garfield grinned, causing the female to bite her lip.

"Totally."

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I hope you liked this one! I will probably put the next one up tomorrow. Let's see how their relationship grows! Sorry for any mistakes and PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Compatibility

Lol I think we're getting somewhere! Thanks for the reviews! I hope there's more!

Disclaimer: Don't own TT.

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Her hands found there way comfortably on her lap and she was staring straight ahead

Her hands found there way comfortably on her lap and she was staring straight ahead. The very low volume from the radio made it easy to ignore the rock music and the air conditioning in the vehicle hugged around her skin in a very cozy way. She noticed Garfield occasionally opening his mouth.

Oh, he tried so hard. Why couldn't Rachel lighten up? This guy seemed like he could make her laugh. He could ease the load of stress Rachel felt every day. Besides, the apartment was very lonely at times. There was more she wanted to do with herself than lay sprawled on her couch with the latest James Patterson novel.

She sighed involuntarily and examined the silence. Why wasn't the guy talking?

Garfield looked over at her and smiled.

"So I bet the coffee shop is just a side project, right?"

Rachel's dropping eyes shot open. He just spoke. Struggling to find a quick answer, she opened her mouth. "Hmm?"

Wow, that was nice.

"I mean that the coffee shop isn't the only place you work at, right?" Garfield rephrased the question and made a sharp turn to the left. Thank God for the GPS. He reached over to the air conditioning and turned it off. The red light for heat was supposed to be on. The car was getting colder and colder by the second. Garfield noticed she was shivering and switched the heat up to full blast. Fall Out Boy was playing their latest single. He smiled.

"If you mean about the way I obtain my money, then yes. I actually am working on a short story for my collection."

That was a good answer. It didn't give away a lot, but then again, it didn't give away much….unless he actually cared enough to ask for more information.

"Sweet. You write stuff, huh?" he nodded. Of course this mysterious girl would be into writing! 'Novel' was plastered all across her personality.

Rachel let out a simple, "Yeah" and stared down at her feet. Blackness.

"Garfield I don't think you're going the right way."

She had finally called him by his full name. He thought she forgot!

"Don't worry. Lisa's got us covered," he grinned and patted his GPS lightly. Rachel looked at him. "Lisa?"

"Yeah. My GPS."

She rolled her eyes and peered out into the night sky. It was so dark. Well it was winter, of course it'd be darker at night. She caught a glimpse of 'Bolt Street' and narrowed her eyebrows.

"You're going the wrong way. This part of town is completely unfamiliar to me," she scowled.

Looks like Garfield was ticking her off. It wasn't his fault though! This was the route he was inclined to take. Lisa told him to.

"I swear Rachel. I'm supposed to go this way. I'm not taking you to a dark alley or whatever."

Her heart was pounding slightly harder now. "Take me to my place. NOW."

"Relax. Don't get your thong in a knot."

What was that? _Don't get your thong in a knot?_

Garfield mentally slapped himself.

Rachel shot him a glare and muttered a string of curse words at him. It was something he was supposed to get used to.

And then half and hour of silence followed.

"Are we still lost?" she glowered.

Garfield gulped. "Um, no."

Heavy snow began to thud on the car. He was starting to panic. He had a very angry female next to him that was prone to violent-like outbursts. He was starting to hope that instead of her killing him, he'd rather die from the snow storm.

While attempting to make another turn, he stopped. Or rather, the car stopped.

Rachel's head flew up. "Garfield Logan…."

"It's not me, I swear! The car died."

"What?" she snapped.

He took the key out and jumped out of his seat. He slammed the door right behind him and nearly skidded across the snow. Suddenly he took a false step.

"Crap."

The car was two feet away from sliding off the broken road. Garfield took out his cell phone and sighed. He kicked the front left car tire and struck his fist onto the car's new paint job.

The sign illuminated by the cell phone light clearly read, "Construction. Do not enter."

Rachel opened the side door and appeared across from him. Her face wasn't serene like he was accustomed to. She was angered. Suddenly she took a step to get to him around the car and tripped over some tree roots.

"Oh my God, Rachel!" Garfield dove across the hood of the car and ignored the snow making its way down his forehead. He landed on top of her, slamming his head into a tree trunk. Blood trickled down his mouth and he groaned. Rachel's eyes widened. She looked to the right and found that normal ground ended. She felt around and her bare hand brushed along a ragged edge. This was like a cliff!

One move and they'd end up rolling down a rock slide. Pain would be the end of them.

They were both breathing heavily and snow was seeping into their shoes. The two would have to get up sooner or later. He lifted his head of her shoulder and let out another groan. Rachel felt the movement and quickly pulled him back.

"Don't move."

"I have to. I'm bleeding. My mouth hurts like hell and my head is throbbing. Plus I can't stay on you forever. I'm making you wet."

Rachel sighed. "Wet?"

"Yeah. There's snow!" he griped. He blushed and realized his words weren't used very well.

Though…it was very comfortable.

"At least we're warm." Garfield tried to smile with his split lip and just winced. Rachel nodded and placed her hand on the back of his head.

"Grab onto my waist. We can get back into the car easily."

He obeyed her and he was lead into the back seats. They both sat staring at each other in the darkness. "The keys were in. Engine must've froze or accelerator must've flipped out 'cause—"

"The keys were in?" she said in astonishment. He nodded. She put on a face of incredibility and rolled her eyes. "I swear! Do you really think I wanted to get this?" he pointed at his ache and looked at her jacket.

"Oops, I think I got some blood on your sweater…" he smiled sheepishly.

Rachel snarled an unrecognizable response to him and dug around her pockets.

"Thank you for leading me to death tonight! I might as well write my will on this Dorito covered napkin because-"

"Rachel, I can try backing out!"

"STUPID idea. The ground is getting weaker. We should find an area with heating built for humans!"

"We can't freeze to death!"

"Oh that's too BAD! Give me your phone."

Garfield didn't move. "I dropped it in the snow."

"Ugh." She kicked the driver's seat.

"Well what do you wanna do now?" Garfield asked with blood sliding down his chin.

What was there to do?

** Action packed! Thanks for reading! Please excuse mistakes and please leave a nice review! :) **


	4. Infallible

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Everytime I want to end, my mind forces me to continue! :) Please review. I want you to feel as if this is one of the greatest things you've ever read.

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**When Time Freezes- Infallible**

Garfield pressed the napkin against his lip and leaned against the mini pillow that was placed in his backseat. It would have been impossible not to notice Rachel in the front seat grumbling and griping at how 'pestiferous' Garfield was. The atmosphere in the vehicle was full of contempt (mainly being emitted from the hot-headed vixen) and, though they wouldn't admit it, the car was full of apprehension. Garfield felt a bit nervous about his mistake leading both adults closer to the brink of death. He couldn't tell whether Rachel was truly feeling hatred toward him. She had called him an imbecile, but at the same time held her own sweater caringly to his bloody mouth. He could've sworn that she stroked his cheek willingly. He sighed in confusion.

Both had been able to move the car away from the edge of the cliff and were now set in on the edge of the icy/snowy road. Garfield hoped that someone would come and rescue them, but time was slowly passing. Three hours later they were still in the car. With no cell phone signal and hungry stomachs, the two proceeded to keep quiet and not stir any type of trouble that would make each other angrier.

He drummed his fingers on the car seat and sighed. Rachel looked over at him and scrutinized his face. Garfield was expressing boredom and nervousness all at the same time. She doubled the passenger seat over and made extra room so she could sit next to him. "Garfield."

He looked up and squinted. Darkness surrounded him. "I can't see you…" his voice was ragged from misuse and he his mouth ached from the massive tissue tear.

"You don't need to," she redid her pony tail and placed a hand onto the car door handle.

"I'm going to explore the region. I'd like to see if there's a way we can escape this hell."

"No, you can't." Garfield was fully awake now and even though he couldn't see anything in the extremely dim car, his senses were stirred. "It's a freaking blizzard out there. You call me stupid?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well then, I'm going to try to start the car."

"Good luck with that," Garfield snorted.

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"So this is what I have to endure. I have to be stuck with you! Oh God, tell me what I did wrong," Rachel slouched in the backseat with him.

"You wanna know what you did? You were BITTER!" Garfield screeched under his breath. She gave him a glare.

"I try so hard to be nice to you and give me crap all the time. Dude, I just met you!"

"Listen to me. I don't care if you think I'm rude to you. Maybe we wouldn't be arguing if you just took the familiar way to my apartment instead of talking to your own GPS device!" she snarled. Garfield sat up and neared her face.

"You know what? You're lucky I even offered to take you home! I expressed my chivalry to you in a manly way and you coulda been still standing on the corner of the road freezing to death!" his mouth chattered, vibrating the venom-like words throughout his body.

Silence. At first Garfield thought he went too far. She opened her mouth. Of course she had a retort.

"Well I sure as heck would have rather been freezing alone than with you!"

"Really?" he smirked. Garfield smiled to himself. She definitely would have wanted to be with him. He could tell by her movements. She seemed more comfortable.

"Yes! Also maybe if you took me home correctly, I would have given you my phone number," she said quietly. Garfield withheld a breath. That was a sign. She found him attractive…or likable…or cool…or maybe a mixture. He reached over to her hand and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"That's okay Rachel. When you weren't looking, I wrote down your number from your cell phone," Garfield grinned. She scowled and shoved the male against the door.

"No need to play rough." He laughed and pulled out a blanket from under the seat. He passed it to her and took off his jacket. "This is your pillow."

Rachel ignited the car once again and turned on a car light. She saw him undressing down to his white undershirt and he took off his shoes. He placed his head on the spacey car seat and turned over to face her denim covered lap.

"Rachel didn't I tell you my car was roomy?" he smirked. She looked down at him and watched how he was preparing himself for rest.

"Garfield you can keep your jacket. I don't want you to--"

"No, it's cool. Actually, you know what? I'll sleep on the floor if you want me too." He sat up and threw his blanket onto the car floor.

"Garfield no." He was being too nice now. Why? She grabbed his wrist firmly.

"You can have this space. I'll be up front."

"Rae…you'd have no space!" he countered. He sighed. Was he being polite enough?

Was Rachel going to be more sympathetic? He leapt into the front seat leaving Rachel a suitable amount of space. She sighed and smiled to herself. The night wasn't going to be so bad.

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"Garfield," she moaned. He turned over and let out a muffled 'mmhm'. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a couple of breath mints.

"Get up. It's seven AM. The road's open." She muttered to him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Mornin'," he smiled with a wince. "Good morning. Please give me the keys," she said, peering out of the window. The early sunlight was peeking through the car window, gliding over Rachel's face—which Garfield thought was rather lovely. He dug into his pant's pocket and pulled out keys. "So this is what was poking me last night!"

She rolled her eyes and started the vehicle. "Rachel, know what sucks? Since my phone was all up in the snow it's all weird now. I can't even check my text messages!"

"Mhm." Was her reply.

Now they were on the road again! She drove under a bridge, through slippery areas, and treaded through a dangerous neighborhood. And there it was. Her two story apartment was located on a nice side of town. It was covered in snow, but the red bricks made it look like as if it was on a postcard.

"Wow," Garfield breathed. Could that lavish home even begin to compare with his small house? He noticed Rachel gathering up her belongings and even cleaning his car windows. He laughed to himself. That was so like her.

"So…this is it?" he wondered aloud. She was slightly startled. "What?"

"We depart ways here?" he was exasperated. "Seriously?"

"Garfield, I don't understand."

"Look I know you might not want to see me again but…" he rubbed the stubble on his chin and let out a breath. "Can I take you out or something?" he seemed so vulnerable. Garfield ran a hand through his gummy hair and got out of the car. He leaned against her mailbox and faced her. He couldn't help but think of how cute it was that she was a couple inches shorter than him. She walked away without a response. Garfield stared at her back in disbelief. She opened her front door and Garfield slammed his car door in anger. After all they'd been through, this is how she repaid him? A cold shoulder?!

"Garfield!" she yelled, before stepping into her abode. He rolled down his window and glared at her.

"Come to the café at five. Dress casual. And…I would've kissed you goodbye but I am so freaking positive that you would have kept pursuing me."

Garfield grinned. And he could've sworn that she licked her lips. Hope was not at all lost.

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It wasn't an ending you'd expect. If I end there, I'd be dissatisfying myself. But then if I do...there's room for imagination.

Thanks for reading and my grammar really sucks! I like to think it's the content of the story, rather than how it's grammatically presented. :)

Please review and give me your hardest critique! I'm ready. :)


	5. Clarify

** Mhhm. Longest one yet. I hope you enjoy! AP is taking its toll on me. Does anyone know what it means when you're thirsty a lot, tired a lot, and have a bunch of headaches? I got a test and it's not diabetes...so do you guys have an idea?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own a thing.**

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**Clarify**

Garfield looked at himself in the mirror. He stood dressed in a pair of khakis and a long sleeved Ralph Lauren polo shirt. At his feet sat a new pair of Sperry's and around his left wrist was a leather watch. He bought it just to look cool. Garfield flipped his hair back and grimaced. _I look like an idiot._

He dashed into his closet and frantically chose an outfit that could suit the occasion. After all, Rachel did say to dress casual. Garfield walked out and smiled. The white shorts he was wearing didn't have a stain on them, and he was proud of himself for that! Also, he looked very sophisticated with salmon colored tee shirt. As Garfield scanned himself over and over again, he realized something very terrifying. He was too hairy.

_Man, no girl wants to see my furry legs. _He slapped himself on the forehead and walked back inside the closet. He rolled his eyes and laughed at himself. _What was I thinking? White shorts? It's not like I'm a country club kinda dude. _

Fifteen minutes later Garfield sat in the middle of a tornado. His pants were strewn all across the north side of his closet and the undershirts were hiding underneath a box full of photos of his family. His chin was in his hands and he was pulling at his blond hair. The watch read 4:38 and he groaned. It was time to get going. Even though there were still many questions to be answered, Garfield decided to just throw something together. Could Rachel think any less of him? He walked out of his own apartment and slapped a cyan-colored sweatshirt over his shoulder. Garfield tightened his belt and unbuttoned the first two buttons on his green striped polo. He hoped Rachel wouldn't think he was too immature because of his destroyed style Hollister jeans, but he smiled. _I look pretty awesome. So does she. So side by side, we'd be perfect._

He made sure his boxers weren't too viewable and smiled at his neighbor.

"Mornin' Miss Sherry!" he walked over to her and opened her car door for her.

"Why thank you Gar," the elderly woman sped away with a smile on her face from his courtesy. He watched as she turned the corner and unlocked his vehicle. His mind was in strange disarray just by thinking about her.

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He took in a deep breath. Did he look bad? Was she going to find the extra, unshaven hair on his chin masculine or just hygiene- deprived? Garfield walked towards the café and cleared his throat.

"Garfield?" a feminine voice came from behind him. He whipped around and blushed.

"Rachel…" he breathed. She ignored the way Garfield called her name and clutched onto his arm. She led him across the street and before Garfield could find the courage to say anything about her appearance, they were on a bus.

"You look amazing." Garfield gave her another smile and she looked back at him contently and stroked the seat of the bus nervously.

"So what are we doing?" he wondered aloud. Rachel sighed and peered out the window. "I think I want you to meet my parents," she said.

All movement in the bus seemed to freeze. It was the first time he had ever heard her sound timid. Garfield's hear skipped a beat. The parents? Whoa, wasn't this moving to fast? After all, spending a night in a car doesn't make you officially 'glued to each other' right? He gulped.

"Hmm?" he hoped she was joking.

"They're in town and meeting us at Dailie's. I told them you're my fiancé…"

Garfield was silent. He expected a simple date, he wanted to crack a few jokes, and maybe even kiss her. He did not expect this.

"We haven't even kissed…" he muttered. She rolled her eyes, happy that he his attitude was getting more normal. They just met. Like she was going to kiss him! Ha, he wasn't her league….or so she thought.

"And we don't have to. We have to keep it going for a couple of months and then we'll break it off. When it's over we'll say that we found other people and it was a mutual break-up. Understand?" she wasn't fiddling with her fingers. Her voice didn't crack. Rachel was completely serene. "We don't have to do anything. Not even touch each other. Just pretend we have something."

Garfield threw his head back and laughed. "We _do _have something. And it's not pretend!"

She ignored his comment and opened up her purse. "My parents are a bit pushy. My mother is okay. My father…" she trailed off staring at a gas station. The sky began to darken and the snow started to fall down harder. She breathed in, hoping he would go through with it. Why did she pick this guy? She had no idea. It was just that Garfield kept her interested. He was intellectual but at the same time very humorous. And though it seemed as if she wasn't into those kinds of men, he had everything she wanted. Rachel smiled to herself and tried not to blush. She had to keep up the tough girl attitude. Garfield couldn't sneak in through her boundaries! Even though he did have a nice smile…and great hair….and pretty eyes…..

Garfield breathed in. This was a lot to take in. Meeting parents, getting personal with family, and getting to know her better! This was a huge task. He was hoping a simple date. Nothing more, nothing less. His hands were getting a bit sweaty, so he slid them over his pants and looked into her eyes. "What do I get out of this?" he wondered.

"Me."

He smiled. "Yeah right. Seriously."

"I will let you take me out." She stated it simply and calmly. They noticed a few people getting off the bus, and Rachel checked her watch.

"Come on. I'm not that cheap!" he grinned. He put his hand around her shoulder and leaned against her head. She unsuccessfully attempted to scoot away.

"What about…since this is pretend….we gotta make it look real, right?"

She groaned. "Yes…"

"So can we display public acts of affection?" he was hoping for the best.

"No."

He put his head into his hands. "Fine, then I'm not doing it." The male stood up and tried to leave his seat. Rachel pushed him back down. "We can do minor things, but that's it."

He smiled. "All right!"

She pulled out her cell phone and began to text an unknown identity.

"So is full-on Frenching minor to you?"

"Garfield…."

* * *

"Okay, remember not to smile so much. Don't talk about yourself too much. Also, you speak Italian. Try to make it like your whole world revolves around me. And…" his brow furrowed in wonder as Garfield paid close attention to her. The air surrounding both adults began to heat up as thoughts circled their minds repeatedly. He slouched down in his seat.

"Why'd you pick me?" he wondered in disbelief. Rachel's breath caught. This was the one question she was veering towards avoidance. But of course, this was Garfield Logan and you never knew what was going to occur next. He seemed a bit nervous, his hands shifted around his pockets questionably. Rachel nodded and tried to keep a poised manner. "I could tell from your personality that you were probably the most well prepared for that task," it was a simple response. Garfield didn't dare ask any more questions that had to do with her choice and so he continued to listen to the guidelines he had to follow. _Don't laugh too much. Keep your hands inside your pockets and offer to help clean up the area they were supposed to be sitting at. _

"Oh yeah, you're the head of a hospital."

All this was getting to be too much. Garfield didn't think he wanted it do it anymore.

He looked up at her and his heart nearly stopped. If he could see the way her face shined every hour of the day, he'd never feel sad. She looked down at him and gave him a small smile which was almost unusual for her. The bus veered at a stop and people began to scurry off. She stood up and he followed her off the bus. Garfield began to shiver.

* * *

"Come on, it's really cold." He jumped into the restaurant. Rachel slid her feet over to him and clung onto his arm. He whipped around. She looked a bit uncomfortable, holding onto a guy she didn't know too much about, but hey. It's only for a while.

While Garfield pondered about how he was supposed to go about this adventure, Rachel was holding his hand.

Was it just him or was this 'fake' relationship moving too fast? At the same time though, he was enjoying every minute of the physical attention. She'd look out the window and he noticed the way her nerves kicked in. She would tap her foot uneasily against the seat leg and grip his hand a little tighter.

"Rachel?"

She gave him a bland look. "What?"

"Can we give each other pet names?"

She rolled her eyes and muttered a curse word under her breath.

"We live in your apartment."

He did a doubletake.

"Why not yours? Mine sucks!"

No reply. Rachel unbuttoned the top of her blouse and let go of his hand.

"I want you to remember something."

He smiled. "Okay…."

"This is all pretend. I am not interested in you and please, don't even try to make this real. I am not for you," she said bluntly. Her words hurt and Garfield felt a little pang of sadness at his heart. He breathed in and gave in a fabricated grin.

"All right. Hey, there's plenty of other fish in the sea!" While he mumbled these words in mock happiness, she looked at him. Rachel knew he was faking. There was no doubt. A long silence followed.

"Garfield are you positive you're okay with that?"

He shrugged. "Totally."

Rachel's expression completely changed.

"I bet you during this entire experience you'll develop deeper feeling for me," she whispered into his ear so seductively, that he trembled. Garfield licked his lips and glared down at the restaurant table.

"You mean, 'more than a crush' feelings?" he wondered aloud. She nodded while breathing against his cheek. His face flushed. "How's that going to work if you're already teasing me?"

She laughed. "Garfield, I'm going by your unsaid word. Don't fall in love with me."

"Why not?" he blurted, feeling the restaurant temperature rising. She places his hand on her knee and gave him a stern look before staring out into the window once again.

"Because I'll break your heart."

Garfield rolled his eyes. "Okay Miss Confidence. Seriously though, why can't I try to get with you?"

"Because I'm a bitch."

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**Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	6. Dinner

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** I'm back! I hope you enjoy! Does anyone know about the differences and similarities between cyclothymia and dysthmia?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. My idea.  
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Garfield fumbled with the edge of his shirt and noticed the back of his neck was freezing. He cracked his neck and moved onto his knuckles while Rachel gave him a disgusted look.

"What?" he wondered. He realized that his state of nervousness and anxiety was beginning to annoy her. She was probably as apprehensive as him judging from the way she drummed her fingers along the table.

"Garfield," she spoke hesitantly.

He looked up and swept his needing-to-be cut hair to a side. "Hmm?"

"You don't have to do this. I know I shouldn't just put pressure on you like this. It's absolutely wrong. I have no idea what I was thinking. I'll just call my parents and tell them that—" she began to stand up. Garfield stopped her in confusion.

"No way. I'm doing this. I signed a contract."

"What contract?" she gave him a perplexed glance and unwillingly sat down.

"I signed a contract with my heart. I swear to you this won't be pretend."

"Garfield…."

"No, it's true. It'll be like a movie." His eyebrows waggled at her suggestively and gave a small chuckle.

"You are so corny."

"Yep. Besides I can't chicken out now. I think those are your parents…"

Garfield was pointing through the window to a middle-aged couple crossing the street next to the restaurant. "Oh God." Rachel slunk down her seat and slight worry lines made their way across her forehead.

"Garfield we can dash out the back door. It's not too late." She scrambled out of her seat and clutched her purse to her shoulder. Garfield gripped onto her hand.

"Chill! I'm sure your parents are nice people," he grinned, pulling her down to her seat. "Garfield we don't even know each other!"

"Dude, we spent a night together talking about personal stuff. I think we're all good. I know your favorite color is purple. Like the movie!"

She displayed a look of chagrin and took her coat off. She sighed. Looks like there was no way to get out of this one. He smiled to himself and noticed her parents reaching the door.

"Wait! What's your last name again?"

"Garfield!"

"Just kidding!" he laughed and stood up once again to greet her parents. Rachel remained seated. This could get awkward.

"Rachel!" screamed a woman from the other side of the building. Unknown strangers looked up at the fake 'couple' while Garfield couldn't help but smile.

"Oh Lord," she dug her face deeper into her arms until Garfield came to her side of the table and practically lifted her up. "Come on…." He whispered a little gruffly into her ear. He turned to face a tall, chubby female charging at the two. She had dark brown hair and a heavy coat of makeup on, making her face look a bit older. Garfield was positive she was no older than fifty years. Her dress was very elegant and the jewelry accompanying the garments were lavish and seemingly expensive. He looked at himself and twitched. Looks like he had to impress. He walked forward and pulled Rachel up next to him. She gave a measly smile and he swore that she grunted in anger.

"Oh honey look at you! You've finally gotten those curves! I told you it's better late than never!" Rachel's mother swept her into a bone-crushing hug and started to laugh uncontrollably. Garfield flashed her a look of amusement and stuck his hands into his pockets. He caught a glance at the diamond ring she displayed warmly on her finger, the opal brooch she

"Hello. Mother." Rachel was already annoyed. She

Those two words were said very harshly but seemed to have no effect on the madam as she kept smiling. "Oh and who is this handsome young man?" she said giddily. Before Rachel could answer her mom's question, Garfield was flung into her just a little too painfully. He stifled a groan of exhaustion and smiled up at her.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Garfield Logan….Rachel's fiancé," he kept a joyful expression on his face and reached for Rachel's hand. He stroked it gently and waited for her mother's response.

"Oh my! Honey, you sure picked out a good one," she touched her daughter's shoulder and cocked her hip to the side. "Nice and muscular," she said suggestively, squeezing Garfield's bicep. He blushed and frantically looked down to the ground and back at his 'fiancé'. She rolled her eyes and started to wish that the night would get better. Of course, it would take a miracle for that to happen.

"Gar I'm Arella Roth, Rachel's mother. I'm sure we'll get along just fine," she suddenly shoved Rachel down into her seat and sat down right next to her.

"I should probably go get Tryan. That old coot could be flirting with the waitresses for all we know!" Arella said in a frivolous tone. She stood up once again, and in a flash she disappeared into the restaurant crowd. Garfield gave Rachel a little smirk and jabbed her lightly in the arm.

"Your mom seems nice."

She didn't reply, but instead gave a little snort of disfavor.

"Rae, I was getting the sense that your previous boyfriends didn't really impress your mom, but I did. Am I right?" he asked carefully, laying a napkin into his lap.

She looked up at him and gave the male a look displaying that she refused to answer his query. He shrugged and slouched back into his seat.

"I can tell this'll be a fun night. So who's Tryan? Your dad?"

Rachel nodded silently. "Watch yourself. My dad is a little harsh."

He flipped his hair out of his eyes and stifled a laugh. "Alrighty."

"This is kinda fun." Garfield winked at her and couldn't stop smiling. Everything was well so far. What could go wrong?

Both of Rachel's parents were nearing the table at an incredibly slow pace so Garfield neared them with caution. Arella was giggling in Tryan's ear while the middle-aged man smoothed out his black beard. His eyes were a piercing ebony; the same color as his slicked back hair. He was walking with no limp, yet seemed much attached to the expensive, wooden cane he was showing off. Rachel's father had a stern look plastered upon his face as if he was forced to meet his own daughter's suitor. At this moment Garfield wondered if she was an only child. He gulped at said a silent prayer to remain unscathed. He half-expected this to happen. The happy mom-in-law and the too-serious dad-in-law. Add those together and they equal uppity rich class folks. Garfield grew up in a small town. He wasn't country. He wasn't city. He was just Garfield. But the situation didn't seem _too _bad. With all the prior knowledge he owned and everything his deceased parents taught him, Garfield did have a strength. And that was _humor._

"Good afternoon Mr. Roth. I'm Garfield Logan. The lucky dude marrying your beautiful and intelligent daughter." Garfield held in a breath. No response. Rachel shuddered and felt perspiration forming on her brow. The cold appearing man suddenly stepped forward.

It was as if he completely Garfield's greeting. He looked at his daughter with an approving look. "Well let's check this kid out."

Garfield internally grinned. It wasn't a brutal insult. But _kid? _Garfield thought the light hair above his lip was pretty manly!

Plucking his fork into the delectable food on his plate, Tryan made sure not to get any accidental stain on his tailored suit. He remained a state of sangfroid and occasionally shifted into a blasé expression when his wife began to talk about herself. Garfield sat back, casually holding Rachel with an arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against him, upping Garfield's self-esteem.

"So what do you do for a living, boy?" Tryan wondered with bone-melting stare. Garfield perked up.

"I'm an intern as a software developer," that answer didn't seem to suffice. Garfield assumed he was looking forward to a high salary job. He smiled at him and spoke once again. "But right now I work part-time at a grocery store." Garfield never liked admitting his job. He was a cashier. A simple cashier. He noticed Rachel tensing up as her father grumbled something under his breath. Her mom whispered something back and Garfield blushed. Awkward.

"So you design software?"

"Yes sir. Video games and things like that."

"Video games! Rachel are you marrying a man or a boy?"

Garfield began to get a bit edgy. "Dad…"Rachel started.

"Garfield is quite the man, I swear." Suddenly her mother belted out a loud cackling laugh that caused Garfield to jump.

"So how many kids are you planning to have?" Arella asked, ignoring her husband's mutters. Rachel blushed immediately and hesitated.

"Four." Garfield announced with a forceful tone.

"Imagine what that's going to do to my body!" Rachel said in a deadpan voice. Was that an attempt to crack a joke? Garfield gave a weak laugh.

"Honey, where's the ring?" inquired Rachel's mother, gulping down a spoonful of mashed potatoes. Silence filled the air.

"W-what ring?" Rachel asked.

"The engagement ring."

"Oh, uh well we uh…." Rachel felt the pressure from her high-expecting parents and suddenly noticed a sensation coming from her shoulder. Garfield gave her knee a reassuring squeeze and winked. "Well we're a non-traditional couple! Rachel and I decided to get tattoos that pledge our love for each other."

Tryan raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess: that idea was yours?" he snarled, pointing a long finger at Garfield.

"Yes sir."

He scoffed and mumbled some insults about immature and something having to do with the 'golden age'. Rachel sighed.

"So sweetie what's been going on?" Arella clinked Rachel's glass and smiled warmly at her.

"Nothing new." Well that was that. Rachel refused to open up any further. This left her mother to turn to Garfield. He smiled uneasily and cautiously scooted closer to Rachel. He need backup.

"Garfield tell us about your life!" Arella stuck her face in her hands as if she was getting ready for a life story.

Tryan snorted. "Poor kid probably doesn't have much to say. Go ahead Arella. Ask for his biography when in truth it'll be like this, 'I was born twenty years ago. When I was fifteen I realized girls were my reason to be on Earth. Then two months ago I got laid by your daughter and convinced her to marry me because I'm oh so rich!" Tryan mocked Garfield's voice bitterly and spat more belittling comments to him. Garfield rose up in anger.

"Hell no. Screw thi--actually you know what? If you care, listen! I was born in Africa from the best parents in the world. They worked with a patrolling organization helping stop genocide and violence in third world countries! Both my parents were assassinated by a dirty tactic corporation called Trigon Deathstroke. That was this shittiest time of my life. They died when I was six. Soon after, I was brought to America and here I am. Living life to the fullest. I haven't 'laid' your daughter. I'm not obsessed with girls and I actually have a brain. Why are you putting me down?" Garfield practically screamed. His shirt was ruffled, his hair was mussed, and his eyes were wild.

"Gar…."Rachel began. Everyone took in a breath and Garfield sat back down.

"I see." Tryan looked at Rachel apologetically and sighed. "Well he's proven himself, that's for damn sure."

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**Thanks for reading! Please review! I'm trying to bring some originality. So I'm sorry about the mistakes. Remember to review! And thank you so much to anyone that reviewed before. **

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	7. Bloody

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**I think this is the longest one. I really hope it makes up for my absence. AP sucks. Especially if your teacher can't tell you the difference between Hinduism and Buddhism and it's on an upcoming test! Please review-- I kinda like this one!**

**Disclaimer: don't own TT. never will**

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The sky was quickly darkening. Garfield felt leaves crunch under his feet as snow drifted onto his shoulders. Rachel strolled ahead of him. They both walked in front of a parking meter only to find a lush vehicle in their presence. Garfield wondered how this car was here. After all, they rode a public locomotive just to get to the restaurant. He ripped his eyes from her and did a double take. Rachel hesitantly looked over at him. He gulped and stared at the car. It was an onyx-colored Mercedes-Benz S 550. Only one of the many cars he fantasized about.

"Do you need a ride?" she asked him tapping her Mary Jane style pump covered foot against the sidewalk. He shrugged. "It's okay. I can call a friend to come pick me up."

Rachel's facial expression disagreed and suddenly memories of the first night he met her surged through his head.

"No Garfield. I can drop you off. Just tell me where you live."

He scratched the back of his head and cracked his knuckles. She was making him nervous! Damn her with her sultry clothes, her bittersweet voice, and heavenly body. He started to get a bit uncomfortable. She stroked her hand on top of the car and sighed, trying to force a response out of him. Garfield looked at the slight creases in her forehead. She seemed stressed. But he shrugged. Oh, how we wanted to kiss her right then and there. He just wanted to grab her by the waist and have that independent woman scream for him. His eyes wandered over her body and he grinned at the slight smile she displayed.

Garfield assumed that's what kept him interested because attraction to him never mattered on anything else. It had just been…physical. Garfield mentally slapped himself as he realized how much of an insensitive jerk he had been over the past few years. Now, staring at Rachel he became determined to change that. He breathed in and smiled while she glared at her watch…which was another luxury of hers he guessed.

He found himself found himself staring off into darkness. Would he ever be good enough for her? Garfield was pretty simple. He liked beer, girls, subs, sports, and electronics. Rachel was dazzled into three car garages, pools with waterfalls, grills that came with coolers, and voice activated light switches. Maybe he wasn't made for her. Maybe this was all a waste of time. Maybe God had given him the task to be her fiancée so he could keep his mind off his stereotyped life.

"Garfield?"

He looked up abruptly. "Oh yeah. I live in Springbrooke." He spoke quietly and kicked at the snow below his foot.

"Okay," she walked briskly to the driver's seat and slid inside. Garfield popped into the car and marveled at the interior. The shiny wood adorning the dashboard added a classical appeal to the car. Garfield looked behind and found TV's futuristically designed in the seats. She adjusted the mirrors and powered the car. While backing out, Garfield cleared his throat.

"Did I do okay?"

"You did great," she congratulated him. "Tomorrow we can go out anyplace you want to. It'll be the least I can do for you since you put up with my parents. I feel terrible that I made you do that."

He blushed. "Haha, it's okay."

She swerved into a new road and leaned back. "Seriously. Thank you. You really helped me tonight."

He nodded and looked out the window. He wondered what she would say after she saw his living quarters. Would she laugh at him? He hoped she wouldn't think it was too shabby or dainty.

"You smoke?" he wondered, glancing down at an empty cigarette box.

Apparently he elicited anger. "No. That's a friend's."

"Tell me where to turn."

He said okay and took in a deep breath.

"Turn here!" he said unexpectedly. The urgency in his voice caused Rachel to steer on the sidewalk.

"This isn't even Springbrooke!" she exhaled, looking at the barren trees. Garfield gave a measly smile. "Oops. But, it's okay. You can drop me off here." He opened the car door and tried to dash out until Rachel caught him by the belt.

"What is your problem? Let me take you all the way there," she commanded. He sighed.

"But Rachel….."

"Get in jackass."

He slouched in the seat and inhaled a puff of air as if it was the only oxygen left on earth. She gave him a peculiar look. Rachel assumed driving along the narrow road and suddenly saw a sign. 'Welcome to Springbrooke Highlands'. She veered in the neighborhood and found very prestigious apartments lined up. Their front yards were nicely trimmed and lights decorated the area for easy driving access. Rachel kept on driving. Garfield motioned her to turn left and they found themselves at Garfield's homely abode. They faced an ivory two story apartment. Rachel reached over to open her car door but was stopped by a forceful hand on her wrist. He unlatched the seatbelt and relished his last few moments in the car. Smiling, he hopped out.

"Thanks."

"Garfield."

"Yep?"

"Will you ever show me inside?"

He stuttered. "Oh, uh yeah. But not tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Besides, you gotta show me yours!" he said, rather apprehensively.

"You've seen mine."

Garfield remembered when he saw her fancy place. It was the morning after the 'snow accident'. He reminisced about the lilies and snapdragons decorating the front area and noticed how colossal her place was.

"Only the outside."

She rolled her eyes and inconspicuously glanced at her clock. "Yeah, well judging from the outside you can only imagine how it looks on the inside. Boring."

Garfield gaped at her. "Right…."

"What?" she said quickly. He shrugged. "Peace out Rachel."

"Good night."

She pulled out, scrolling up her window. Garfield jingled the keys in his right hand and stared off at her. She was smiling. He could see it from her rear view mirror.

* * *

A gray-haired man twirled the office chair violently to face him and he stared at the person in it.

"Tryan. How's the operation going?"

Computer screens flashed throughout the entire room. There were monitors and electronic beeping was heard from the closets. The rolling of the chair scratched against thte hardwood floor making Tryan Roth become just the slightest bit annoyed. After all, what was his assistant thinking; spinning him around like that?

"Not well. The boy isn't spilling a thing about the organization. He's just interested in the girl."

The sedentary male groaned. "Is your daughter even trying?" he wondered in exasperation.

"Don't pin this on her. Your kid just wants her body. Look at him. Panting in his eyes, rearranging his jean zipper every second, and the---"

"Listen, if he doesn't spill a shit about what happened back in Africa, I'm bringing in Colin and the forces. I'm not playing around. This is hard money I want. And money I will get."

Tryan Roth stood up and shot a glare at his partner. "I don't think you understand. I pay _you _to mend situations." He coolly aimed that response to the other man's soul.

Tension surfaced in the room.

"She likes him you know." Tryan's assistant had an evil smirk on his face.

"Repeat that."

"She does. I've looked over the tapes. Body language spills the biggest secrets. Tryan, all I'm saying is that if she screws this up, you're dead."

Mr. Roth paced around the room and picked up a small bag from an ottoman.

"What? You'll kill your own boss?" Tryan smiled to himself and straightened out his Armani suit. He leaned over and glared at his soon-to-be non existing partner.

"You bet I will." The man twitched as a vein in his forehead bulged with anger.

"I think _I'll _be the one wanted for murder instead of you, Scott."

"What's that supposed to mean?" All vexation was gone from his voice. Tryan pulled out a small gun and grinned.

"T-Tryan, what the hell? Don't do---" A loud shot echoed in the building. Scott's body crumpled against the wall. He emitted a small groan before forever being forgotten. His face showed great displeasure as his knees buckled below him. A large pool of blood seeped out from under his stomach as Tryan made sure it didn't even tap the tip of his leather shoes.

"Looks like I'll have to find myself another assistant." He strolled over to his desk and slunk in it with a lazy smile on his face. The male picked up a small communicator.

"Nurse, call Ted up here. I have a bit of a mess in my office."

* * *

As soon as Rachel entered her own living room, her phone vibrated. She automatically guessed who it was.

"What?" she snapped. She heard a laugh on the other end.

"Cranky already? You should never go to sleep angry."

"Garfield, shut up."

"Okay, okay. I was just wondering…what do we do in the meantime?" he wondered curiously.

"In what meantime?" she sound completely exasperated.

"Rachel, you shouldn't be mad all the time. It leads to stress, stress leads to health problems, and then you DIE."

"Garfield, shut up."

"I mean, since your parents think we're getting married and all," Garfield whispered, "Do…we do anything?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why….no?"

"Because. No."

"Does that sound logical to you?" he wondered in complete awe. "I don't know what kind of movie you've been living in but, Rae, this is life! I can't just go through four months pretending I'm going to get married to you. What if it gets awkward?"

"What the hell do you know about logic? And yes, it will get awkward. I chose you for a reason. Don't ruin it."

Garfield inhaled a deep breath. For four months, he was bound to this woman. He was bound to this five foot eight gorgeous enchantress. His thoughts wandered back to her luscious, strawberry-smelling ebony hair.

"I think you're desperate. I saw your coworkers trying to flirt with you at the café. Why'd you pick me? I think you picked me 'cause you wanted some pathetic little guy just so you could wreak your havoc on. Right? You're so lonely that you just had pick the most desperate guy in the building. You plus me equals desperate times two!

"Garfield, are you….attracted to me?"

If she could've see him, she would have seen a tomato ready to spontaneously combust. Rachel drummed her fingers against her kitchen counter. She licked her lips and smiled to herself.

"What? No." Basically, she just penetrated his thoughts.

"I wouldn't blame you. I happen to have that effect on guys." She tried her best to tease Garfield; she would never ever dare to admit that she didn't have experience in being sultry.

"Thanks, that makes me feel great."

"It should. Doesn't that give you hope that I might find you very attractive?"

Garfield blinked. "I hope to God you do."

"Good night."

"Rachel, I swear by the end of our second month, you're going to be begging for my name."

"Don't be so sure. I actually have quite a few suitors," she replied, mocking his newfound respect for her.

"Maybe. But none as amazing as me."

"Goodnight Garfield."

"I hope you realize this is going to be a When Harry Met Sally 2008. You know that right?"

Garfield chuckled on the other line and hung up.

Rachel ended the call and whisked the touch screen phone onto circular bed. She sprawled onto it and stared at the walls. She pressed into the purple comforter and her thoughts strayed into the topic of Garfield Logan. She pictured him in his grey sweater and dark jeans. She pictured him at a pool. Suddenly she pictured him kissing her. Rachel whipped over to the other side of her bed and sighed. She pictured him as a friend, (a strange friend, nonetheless) ever since he threw that tantrum in the coffee shop. Her brow furrowed. She wasn't worried about the fact that she'd get closer to him. Rachel thought about having that blond wonder giving her a good time. Abruptly, Rachel sat up. She bit her lip and tossed her coat aside and then rubbed her eyes and threw her head into her hands. This was not the way she was supposed to feel! She'd be letting him win…with his amazingly tan body….and toned biceps….Rachel sighed again. She made it clear time and time again. No man was going to win her over. But something that Garfield possessed made her melt on the inside. But then again, having a man made her nervous. It's not that having a relationship with him scared her. It's just that…she knew how other guys were. It wasn't fair to judge Garfield like that, but what could you expect from this girl? After a couple past rejections she doubted herself. Rachel blinked and urged herself not to cry. She couldn't have another crying spell. Especially if it was over a guy. Men were practically worthless to her. Rachel didn't have to take any of that. All she needed was to bathe in the gifts and attention they happily threw at her and she'd be happy. Actually, maybe Rachel needs more. Maybe she was ready for some emotional maturation.

She threw her top off and stepped into the steaming shower. As her bare foot pressed against the cold tiles, she sighed. Garfield as a pretend fiancée was nice. As much as he was convinced though, she wasn't desperate. Rachel had men send her flowers and gifts every day! But she picked Garfield for a reason. And he was going to find out soon enough. The warm water ran over her as she contemplated. Soon enough, the shower was over and she dipped into her heavenly soft bed. The TV automatically flipped on and she felt her phone vibrate once again. Hoping it was Garfield, she quickly brushed that thought away. As much as they both wanted to get in each other…it was her task to keep away. Garfield is going to get reeled in, she decided. Not her.

The phone vibrated twice before she looked down onto its technicolor screen. It was Tryan Roth. She cleared her throat and immediately shut off the TV. Fumbling for a remote, Rachel accidentally knocked one of her many jewelry boxes and latched onto a sleek rectangular electronic. She clicked a button and a low rumble under the floor was heard. Suddenly, the normal seeming bookcase against her wall faded into the wall, revealing another TV screen. It erupted from her stain free carpet and made a small, whirring sound as it came into view.

A face appeared.

"Good evening." Tryan Roth's wrinkled brow looked straight into Rachel's eyes. He was smirking.

"Father," she acknowledged.

"How's the operation coming along?"

She hesitated.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review! PM for a preview of the upcoming chapters. (wink, wink.) :)**


	8. Honesty

**Another update! I'm on roll. :D  
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Garfield sat on the edge of his bed and squinted in agony. He was sitting in complete darkness with his comforter under his bare feet when he realized that he hadn't eaten in two hours. He felt his shoulders stinging and noticed warm blood trickling down his back. His alteration continued until his unruly blond hair wandered to the nape of his neck and tufts of hair jabbed out of his forehead. Garfield groaned and slid down onto his floor, holding a death grip onto his own face. His eyes dilated, forcing his vision to blurry and finally become black and white. He let out another low screech of misery and felt his shirt growing tighter. He biceps started to expand and soon enough, his shirt was torn and discarded along with other items on the bedroom floor. Garfield felt himself grow a bit taller and grinded his teeth together to ignore the pain. Blond curls began to thrust out of his arms and legs; his fleece pants now torn around the knees. Garfield stood up and noticed that his lip commenced to pulsate. Trembling, he darted to his mirror and marveled at his appearance. His pearly whites were now spiky, jagged teeth that poked out from his lip. Garfield had boisterous hair coming out from all directions of his body. He was wider than a body builder and taller than six feet. Garfield marvel gazed at his bulky fingers and examined his tight pants. In annoyance he tore them off and scrambled around in his closet for a larger pair. Suddenly he felt a rumbling nuisance coming from his stomach and his eyes narrowed. Curiously, he felt the need for meat. He craved protein so much that in anger, he lifted up his desk and slammed through his window. Glass exploded throughout his entire bedroom, nicking his face and arms. Cool air flourished through, stinging his bare chest. Garfield, colossal but nimble flew into a rage for chow and jumped out the broken window into the night.

_____

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* * *

Garfield's doorbell rang. He shot up from the couch that he'd been laying on for the past six hours and rubbed his eyes. Running a hand through his gummy hair, he sluggishly lumbered to the front door and realization overcame him. Peeking through the eyehole, he saw a young, freshly dressed Rachel Roth standing patiently at his step. He jumped and grabbed the small communicator on his counter. Garfield nervously pressed a button and cleared his throat.

"Hey," he nervously whispered. Rachel's ears perked up and noticed a voice coming from a small box outside Garfield's door. She bent down.

"Good morning."

"Yeah um, I forgot you were coming so I'm going to open the door."

Garfield tapped his marble counter hoping to get a nice response.

"Sounds like a plan," she remarked sarcastically. He ran towards his kitchen sink and hastily turned on the faucet. Splashing water on his face and feeling completely filthy, Garfield briskly grabbed some mints from the bottom of his snacks cabinet. He hadn't showered the night before; much less had time to this morning thanks to the fatiguing turmoil that had occurred last night. He ran to his room to put an undershirt on for the moment and straightened out his boxers. Garfield shyly opened his door and breathed in the scent of light perfume. He, quickly in a daze, smiled for what seemed quite a while until she took a step forward. Apparently he had forgotten to let her step in. He backed away abruptly and she was clearly taken aback.

"Gotta shower," he scratched the back of his neck uneasily and motioned to his chaise longue. Rachel's eyes flickered at him for merely a moment until he dashed into his bedroom. She didn't dare slouch down for fear of losing appearance of her kempt figure and took a seat. She slid her hand over the soft material and peered around Garfield's quarters, but her eye caught on a small picture frame in the corner of the living room. She stood up, stripping off her red coat and gripped the picture in her left hand. Her eyes glided over a woman's face that displayed a joyful smile. She had green eyes and full, pink lips that shone in the camera light. Next to her was a male in about his early thirties equally as happy. She strolled around his quaint living room, ignoring the peeling paint and ant spray next to his entrance door. She saw a checkered rug, small TV, and of course, a drawer full of inappropriate magazines. They were tossed over as if they had never been read before. To conclude, there wasn't anything to cause a commotion over. Garfield seemed like a normal male. No sign of abnormality resided anywhere in his home from what Rachel could see. She heard a door open and turned around, careful not to knock anything over.

"Rae?"

She winced at the nickname and dropped her handbag onto the couch. She became face to face with a clean, shaven, smelling like Axe Garfield Logan. He wore a Ralph Lauren polo with purple skinny jeans and dark green shoes that gave him absolutely no arch support. Rachel tried her best not to look him up and down—it'd give away the slight lust she had for him. He grinned while noticing that she was checking him out.

"What's up? Want something to eat?" he wandered over to his cabinets, making sure that she'd follow him. Disappointedly, he closed his cabinets because of the scarce amount of edibles problem in his apartment.

"Actually, we should go grab a bite." Garfield's eyes scanned over the fridge and automatically knew it'd be safer to _not _look in there. To avoid awkwardness of the no-food situation, Garfield hooked his hand around her elbow and lead her to his ottoman.

"Wanna play a game?"

Obviously, his smile deterred the incoming caustic reply she ached to shoot out.

"This is how it'll work. I'll ask you a question and you answer it. Simple, right?"

She nodded.

"But, there's a catch. If I have had that same experience, you have to kiss me."

Rachel instantly stood up. "Absolutely not. What about we play the game where you don't show me your man-whoring ways and I'll buy you a great lunch that'll fill you up to the point where you'll want to die rather than have me bombard you with insults and verbal abuse."

Garfield suddenly felt as if he was slapped in the face. "Alrighty. Let me just grab a couple shots of morphine to relieve the stabbing pain I feel in my heart."

She smirked.

"You said I could kiss you."

Aghast, that she had actually said this, Rachel glowered. "I have no idea what lead me to say that."

"I do. We were faking for your parents. You said no Frenching."

"Of course you remember that part." Rachel, clearly frustrated by him grabbed her belongings and tried to reach for the door.

"Wait! I'll stop Rachel." He tried to show remorse for his behavior and quickly opened the door for her. "I'll be the most gentle gentleman you've ever seen!" Garfield did a soldier's salute and hoped she'd be satisfied for the moment.

"'Most gentle' doesn't make sense."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Rae."

* * *

"So, uh how's life?" he wondered, sticking a salty fry in his mouth.

"Oh my God, can you honestly eat that?" she wondered in a slight bewildered monotone.

He stared down at his plate that contained fries, chicken fingers, vegetables, and three biscuits.

"Yeah, I have had a huge appetite ever since I was a little kid. I don't gain much, though." Garfield continued to munch and slouch down in his seat, enjoying the food he longed.

"Okay Michael Phelps."

Garfield smiled.

"How did you get all those cuts?" Rachel asked. Garfield immediately swallowed.

"Shaving."

"You shave your neck?" she inquired curiously. He shrugged.

"My turn," he called out.

"For what?" she raised an eyebrow.

"For me to ask a question. Do you like me?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard it. I asked if you liked me 'cause you seem to get annoyed with everything I do, and yet you offer to take me out to eat. Kinda strange, Rae." He leaned back and breathed out a belch and Rachel emitted a sound of disgust.

"Forgive me for trying to be polite. I thought asking to be fiancée was a mountainous task and so I wanted to begin to repay you."

Garfield considered her answer and opened his mouth. "But why did you choose---?"

"Uh-oh my turn," Rachel chuckled.

"How did your parents die?" she just threw the question out there as if she was asking for directions to the nearest diner. Garfield licked his lips and became a bit tense.

"That's not personal at all."

"You never said no personal questions."

Garfield scratched at his chin. "I told you at dinner. They were assassinated by this operation called Trigon Deathstroke. Bastards." Garfield snarled.

Rachel nodded. "Then you went back to America with your god father and….the rest was history?"

His head bobbed up and down. "Wait, how'd you know about that?"

She shrugged. "Precise guess."

"Steve and Rita, right?" Rachel stared out the window. Garfield's eyes widened.

"That's creepy Rae. Those are the names of my parents!"

She nodded. "Another precise guess."

"What does the group Trigon Deathstroke do?" Rachel inconspicuously wondered.

Garfield chucked a chicken biscuit into his mouth and inhaled the rest of the food.

"It's not a group. It's was this plan to annihilate the animals 'cause at the time, a whole bunch of cryptozoologists were making money off of 'cryptids'. Anyway, the operation was like, about killing animals in the 1980s in Africa. They would take animals for research at this creepy lab that's actually here. God, I need to leave this town." Garfield twitched. Rachel pretended to look interested while testing him to see what information he possessed.

"Cryptids?"

"Yeah, you know—animals like the Loch Ness and Bigfoot."

"Were your parents cryptozoologists?"

"Oh hell no. They were medical scientists. The smartest of the smartest. They'd help all those people there. Even the kids with diseases that woulda been a breeze to eliminate if they were here in America."

Rachel noticed Garfield smiling. It gave her a pang of jealousy; Garfield could actually look up to his parents. Rachel despised hers to the fullest.

"Are you done?" she asked in awe, rising from her seat. He groaned and followed Rachel out of the eatery with a fist full of chicken. Garfield made sure he didn't get any grease on his polo or leather jacket and walked onto the sidewalk with no regard. She brusquely entered her car while Garfield still trailed behind her. In a second, they were on the road again. Following the traffic lights, ignoring the yammering of nearby pedestrians, and occasionally gazing at Garfield in the passenger seat, she drove carefully and tried to collect her thoughts.

"Rachel, there's a black van following us." He gawked at the cars behind them and gripped strongly on the seat. She looked at her rear view mirror.

"Oh God," she muttered under her breath.

Rachel boldly held onto the wheel and veered off the road, almost slamming into a pole. Citizens screamed in horror as gunshots echoed from street side to street side. Garfield ducked as the disparaging shot flung into nearby points. He screamed and rocked into Rachel's seat. His friend grabbed his hand and soon enough, everything was quiet again. Trees were swaying due to the winds and breezes, kids were laughing and playing baseball; all was calm. Garfield frantically looked around.

"What just happened?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Minor disturbance."

He gasped. "Minor disturbance?! Does this happen to you often?"

She shrugged. "Garfield."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for trying to cover me."

He blushed. "You mean, when that guy was shooting at us just now?"

"Yeah. You kind of grabbed me when I accidentally let go of the wheel."

"I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to you." Garfield gazed at her for what seemed for a long time while she temporarily stopped in front of a red light. Rachel caught his eye and leaned next to him. He grabbed her hand and lightly pushed her against the seat, catching her off guard. Garfield placed his lips on hers and retracted as soon as the kiss started. Rachel didn't let go of his hand. Rather, she stroked the side of his face and ached for another kiss.

* * *

**Please review! :D** Sorry if you asked for a preview of the next chapter and I didn't give you one. This time, just PM me for a preview and I'll give you one! :)

Please review. It'd make my day!


	9. Past

* * *

** Hello! This chapter may be a bit short but it will give some insight on the future if you read in between the lines. :) Remember, for a preview of upcoming chapters PM me! And don't forget to drop a review. Can you guys tell me if I'm living up to be as great as RabulaTasa, beautifulpurpleflame, CalliopeMused, or Jessemudflap? They are my inspirations! **

Disclaimer: Don't own TT.

* * *

**Past.**

* * *

Garfield stared out his newly replaced window and watched Mike's Glass and Mirror's whirl out of his neighborhood. Rubbing his stomach in hunger, he glanced at the calendar on his ivory wall. It had been four days since he'd last seen Rachel. Four days since he's kissed her ever so lightly. Four days since he felt her breathe.

He collapsed onto his bed and ignored the ringing from his cell phone, reminding him that it was time to go to work. They were going to fire him anyway. He hadn't come up with any new game ideas or finished the Japan released game he created called 'Forces of the Natural'. He shut his eyes and tried to make all the thoughts on his stressful job evaporate. It wasn't that he hated designing games for children; it was just Garfield knew he had so much more potential and it wasn't being blasted out to the world like it should've been. He drummed his fingers along the pattern of his bed covers and forced himself to sleep. Garfield needed to take a break from thinking about work or Rachel….unless of course, his dreams were about work or Rachel. Sinking farther into the bed, Garfield breathed in and slowly breathed out to attempt a steady, peaceful sentiment.

* * *

Rachel set the gun down onto the wooden table and took the helmet off. Swishing her hair, she quickly turned around at the sound of chuckling.

"Father?"

"I see you're practicing shooting. It's only three AM, why are you up so early?" The man was smoking a cigar; he seemed so peaceful and content and this was a side Rachel had never gotten used to. She sighed.

"I needed some relaxing time." Hearing his daughter say that made him laugh. Most people would relax with their favorite Jason Mraz tune or even curl up and watch a movie. Not shoot at targets.

"Something on your mind?"

Rachel bit at her lip and stared at the gun in front of her. "Not really."

His brow furrowed as he tried to find convenient ways to get information out of her. He paced around the soundproof room and waited for his daughter to give him something to work with.

"Does mom know about the facility?" Rachel asked in a nonchalant tone. He sat on a bench and started to play with his metal cane. "She doesn't know much these days. You know how she is; playing with young frat boys in the Bahamas." Tryan Roth twisted the top of his cane off and out whirred a small screen that demonstrated the outside of his mansion. He was checking security measures.

Rachel thought about what her father just said and leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. "Are you and mom okay?"

One thing that really got to her even as a child was when her parents fought. Bickering was alright, but when extensive time apart was occurring, Rachel couldn't help but wonder.

"Oh yes sweetheart. She's just exploring life outside of this research-filled habitat," he chuckled, stroking his small mustache. A long silence followed. Rachel's small detestation of her father had begun to dissipate. She blamed it on how her mind had been filled with other things.

"Rachel…what's going on between you and Garfield?" Tryan asked. Her eyes slightly widened. "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean with the plan."

She nodded. "Right. Well he's falling for me," she spilled.

Tryan's notions were confirmed. "I know. But are you gaining knowledge of his background?"

"Ye-not really." Rachel bit her lip. Tryan began to get impatient. He strolled out of the seat and walked over to a file cabinet and pulled out a folder. Reaching for a sheet of paper, he neared closer to Rachel. "Read this."

She scanned her eyes over the contract she had signed right after the dinner with Garfield Logan and her parents. "I, Rachel Roth promise to attain Garfield Mark Logan's DNA to aid the Trigon Atomic Testing Facility…."she trailed off and blinked.

"I signed this right after we all had dinner together."

"Yes you did." Tryan nodded and placed his cigar in his two hands. "And did you aquire his DNA?"

"No…" she said completely flustered. "I can't just pluck a strand of hair from his head!"

"Well I've come to another idea. I need you to get me a patch of skin."

"What the f-"

"You know quite well I don't allow expletives in the shooting range," he spat rather harshly.

"Dad, why are you so obsessed with him?"

"Simply because you are." He smiled at her, baring his snow-white teeth. "This guy seems special and I'd like to know what possessed you to introduce him to us."

"If I knew that his parents were killed by Trigon Deathstroke, I would have never brought him close to you!"

Tryan sighed. "Are you confused?"

Rachel's face contorted into uncertainty. She had no response.

"Well let me tell you how your feelings screwed up so quickly that you now have no choice but to obey me." Tryan glared deep into his daughter's eyes. Rachel tried not to crack under pressure. "You met a guy that intrigued you so much, that you wanted your dear parents to travel all the way from Germany to meet him. And all this time I thought you didn't like men!"

She blinked.

"He admitted some information that was oddly infused with your father's life. And then while I contacted you right after dinner, you found out that I had been targeting this man for the past twelve years and you were okay with that! You decided to cooperate with my plans until he started to make you swoon. Now this son of a bitch is ruining you."

"He's not ruining me!"

"Let me finish," Tryan Roth gritted his teeth sternly. "He's not human."

"What?" Rachel stared at her father is disbelief. "This fool is contaminating the world with his animalistic chromosomes. I need to find out how this happened and how he could be let into the US in the form he is in." Tryan took a breath. "Get the skin."

He walked out with the revolving door circling behind him. Rachel watched in absolute awe.

* * *

Garfield's fingers tapped onto his phone maniacally as he texted his friends. He stared around the grocery store and realized again why he had driven here. He hadn't been sticking to his vegetarian ways lately and needed to do all he could to conform to them again. Suddenly, while the cool air of the vegetarian store known as 'The Health Hut' brushed across his cheek, a woman emerged from the entrance. His ex girlfriend---Tara Shire. The phone almost flipped out of his hand and onto the tiled floor as he stood up from leaning against the organic cookies.

"Garfield?" her voice rang through the store. He almost didn't recognize her at first. Maybe because his mind was occupied with another female.

"Tara?" he attempted to smile while his thoughts scrambled around. She was even more gorgeous than before. Last time he saw her, tears mixed in with mascara were streaming down her face and he was standing at her doorstep wearing nothing but an undershirt and boxers. Now her blonde hair was lusciously floating over her shoulders and her full lips shone with shiny luminosity. He noticed her stomach bulging from her sundress, but it didn't take away from the beauty he was presented with.

"How have you been?" her smell of light perfume hovered around his face as she threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and smiled in nervousness. Had she not remembered their rough past?

"I'm alright."

Tara latched onto his hand and dragged him out of the store. "I want you to meet Sergei!" Garfield was walking in the parking lot behind her as she said this. Sergei?

Suddenly a large man hopped out of a Cadillac Escalade. Looked like everyone was getting fancy these days.

"Zdravstvujtye," the man said. Garfield nodded. "Hi."

"This is my husband!" Tara squealed while leaning against his chest. She reached to kiss her lover's cheek and the man kept a straight face.

"I'm Gar." Garfield stuck out his hand in efforts to be polite only to find his kindness was ignored. Sergei looked Garfield up and down in suspicion. Tara was squealing throughout the whole moment. "Guess what Gary?"

Garfield shuddered. Oh yes, the not-so-much missed nickname. "I'm expecting!"

His eyes immediately floated down to her stomach. "Really?"

"I'm five months along." She started to stroke Sergei's hand in appreciation. He kept glaring at Garfield. He suddenly did a calculation. He broke up with Tara six months ago. She was five months pregnant. When he ended it with her she was more poignant than any other girlfriend of his had been. His eyes widened. What if Tara had already been cheating on him with this guy? And she wanted to dump a baby on Garfield? He took in a deep breath. Whoa. What a bitch.

"T-that's great." Garfield was taken aback. He never expected Tara to recuperate from the pain of their relationship, and now here she was looking better than ever standing next to a foreign body builder.

"So what's been up with you?"

"Uh, not much." Garfield seemed pathetic! His wow factor was slowly disappearing. Tara seemed a little ecstatic. "Really? No new girlfriends?"

"Nope," he said, blushing.

"Oh…" the conversation was flattening by the second. Suddenly, right before Garfield was about to depart ways with the couple, he realized something. Something he could use to his advantage.

"Oh wait! I have a fiancée!" he blurted.

Tara's eyebrow rose.

* * *

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** Please review! :) The only way I can get better is receiving feedback! :D **

** Did anyone watch the UF game today?  
**


	10. Suspicion

**Another chapter! This one won't give a huge amount of insight to the future, but it will certainly help determine what the future holds. Just read between the lines. (Wink.)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own TT.  
**

* * *

"Really? What's she like?" Tara shooed her husband into the car and he grunted as he slid in. Garfield suddenly felt a bit of ecstasy as she gazed upon him, completely intrigued with his words. The conversation started to pick up once again.

"Yep. She's hot." He mentally slapped himself. That's definitely _not _something to say to an ex that thinks you're a man-whore. Tara nodded. "Of course. Does she know about your past?"

He felt anger building in his chest. "I've been completely faithful to her since our first date!" He couldn't have Tara thinking that he was just a douche bag. Garfield had changed! He wasn't the cad that wanted to get into every female's skirt anymore. He was mature, loyal, and caring.

"Uh-huh." He noticed Tara starting to get bored with him as she tapped her foot impatiently against the snow covered asphalt. A wolfish grin replaced the serious tight lipped face he displayed and placed his hands on his lips.

"She's absolutely amazing." Garfield knew he wasn't lying. He had never seen anyone as gorgeous as Rachel Roth. He almost started to daydream about her and how he missed seeing her lovely body since four days ago, until Tara snapped him out of his thoughts.

"How'd you meet her?" she spewed out in anger. Taken aback, he opened his mouth and let out a stutter.

"Uh…"

"Where was your first date?" she ignored his previous stammer.

"Um we—"

"Where was your first kiss?"

Uncomfortable with the whole entire scene, Garfield grimaced. "Tara don't you think—"

"What the hell is her name?" Tara shrieked, holding her belly.

"Rachel."

"Rachel?"

"Yeah. Rachel Roth!" Garfield smiled as he said her name. He was suddenly overcome with a feeling of warmth and safety as he envisioned her face. Tara stared at him with undeniable scrutiny. He ignored it and crossed his arms over his chest smugly.

_Yeah that's right babe. I got another woman and trust me; she's more than a woman. _

"Isn't that Tryan Roth's daughter?" Tara asked in amazement. She was defeated. No gorgeous Russian man could ever make Garfield think any less of Tara than he already did…especially now that he was involved with the daughter of the most feared man on the planet. She shuddered to think any more of it.

"Yep. Why?" Garfield wondered as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Tara's eyes narrowed at him.

"You're lying. You can't be marrying his daughter! I'm surprised you haven't been vaporized yet!"

Tara backed away in horror and jumped into the car, scrambling in fear over Sergei's lap as if Garfield's eyes were oozing plasma. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt as the car swerved out of the parking lot.

* * *

* * *

"I don't give a shit on how you get this kid to cooperate with us; just do it."

Rachel clearly stunned by her father's words walked up to him and gave him a glare straight to his face. "Even if that means degrading myself?"

That was by all means NOT possible. Rachel was not about to give herself up for a man that she had known for a little over a week. And definitely not for her father's desire to eradicate mutants. Rachel trembled at her own thoughts. When her father had spoken to her about Garfield being a…mutant…well let's just say that she officially thought he was going insane. Garfield couldn't be an animal? That's physically impossible, right? Out of all the years her father had studied and performed biologic experiments, she never dared to extensively reflect on his work…partly because his labs were unreachable and full of unknown toxins.

"Even if it means you have to kill someone. I want that boy dead. Seduce him or not, his body better be shipped into Lab 2 before I kill him myself."

As his words even began to sink in, he disappeared into one of his many lengthy, vacant corridors. Okay, he just changed everything. First it was a strand of hair, then it was a patch of skin, and now he wants him dead. But…she kind of liked Garfield. But then again, there were plenty of other guys. But none like him. Rachel sighed. What good was having a person dead anyway? Tryan needed Garfield's DNA but how could having his most needed specimen not breathing help his studies? All this was too much. Rachel knew her father was evil rooted. But did he actually want him dead? Or was that just for shock effect? Besides, she couldn't kill a person. He was a normal, breathing human for all she knew! He hadn't done anything to her except use his magnificent body to make her swoon. She knew she wasn't going to marry him (or even 'fake' marry him for that matter, but she had gained his trust. All this just to have the first guy that ever interested her killed? Absurd. Rachel contemplated on how he made her feel. She wasn't much of a…feeler. But something Garfield possessed turned her insides into goo and made her senses malfunction. And as much as she hated to admit it, Garfield's ever so light kiss almost made her lose all control. At the moment he placed his lips on hers Rachel wanted to deepen it. She wanted him to lose his hands in her hair and to have the car seat creak and have him teach her a couple things about being passionate or maybe even sit on his lap as he would tenderly s--.

Her phone vibrated. Rachel blushed and gulped when she read the ID. Gar Logan.

"Hello?"

"Hey, uh how's it going?" his deep voice echoed from the other line.

"It's fine. How are you?"

"I'm good. Hey you wanna see a movie?"

Rachel pondered for a second. Just to be close to him? Sure!

"A movie?"

"Yeah! Popcorn included," Garfield grinned. He started to forget all about Tara.

"Chivalry included?" Rachel just had to wonder.

"Yep, the full package," he blushed. Garfield waited for her response as a long response followed.

"Rae?"

"Rachel," she sternly corrected.

"Right."

"Are you implying the act of buying tickets and concessions to actually view a film from beginning to end?"

"Yeah babe. Unless you wanna do something _else _during the movie…" Rachel

felt herself getting hot.

"Don't start with me." She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry." She heard the sheepishness in his voice and smiled. She knew he wouldn't try anything too wild.

"Will this be our actual first date?" Garfield squeaked, drumming his fingers along the phone's edge.

"Are you expecting more dates with me in the near future?" Rachel tried her best to give him a tease. She heard a grunt on the other end and knew she accomplished it.

"Uh-huh."

"I will see you at the NJC Theater in one hour."

Garfield hung up and pumped his fist into the air. He leaped around his living room, rolled his hips while performing an impromptu salsa dance, and dove into his bedroom.

Garfield hooked his arm around hers at the elbow and they both strolled into the long line of ticket sellers. He discreetly placed his hand at her waist with a firm grip and pushed her lightly against his side. Rachel seemed to have not noticed. Intrigued with all she had missed for the past six months, she gazed around in the theater. There were humans interacting with each other. Babies were crying in their strollers as frantic moms searched for a way to make the incessant noise stop. Couples were affectionately stroking each other as they waited in line for ice cream. She marveled at it. Rachel had missed so much! She was stuck in a coffee shop, mad at the world because she didn't have anyone. Not a soul. Well if you counted her two friends from high school that texted her repeatedly every other night, then that made two friends. She suddenly felt a warmth on the left side of her hip and turned her head, spraying her hair into her 'other half's' face.

"Why is your hand on me?" she asked, quite sharply. He shrugged.

"Felt like it." Well that was bold. Garfield stared straight ahead with a dazed smile on his face. He didn't loosen his grip. She shoved him off of her and he emanated a laugh. Sliding further up the line, Garfield motioned Rachel to move up. After all, he was paying for this. She wanted to watch a dark mystery while he wanted to see a crude, comedic film. They finally settled on a new holiday movie. His eyes scanned over the crowd and he tried-_OH SHIT._

Tara was standing at the top of the escalator staring straight at him. His eyes darted to the man behind her. It wasn't her husband, but another mysterious guy. Strangely, he felt like he had seen him before. He was very round, African American, and wearing glasses that he seemed to be talking into. Garfield gulped. Rachel noticed how tense he instantly got and turned towards his body that was slowly backing out from the line with his hand in hers. Disgruntled people in the line jostled around as Garfield darted from the theater line.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, soon enough in the parking lot.

"There's this black guy that's been following me around. He's in there," Garfield mumbled. Rachel tried to suppress a laugh. "Maybe I should be honest with you.

"That's my bodyguard. Are you talking about Mauricio?" Rachel glanced through the glass door and noticed the man nearing her, reading a newspaper. He now was speaking through the watch identical to the one on Rachel's wrist. Garfield grinded his heels into the gravel and kicked at a couple wet pebbles. Snow drifted onto his shoulders.

"Why the hell do you have a bodyguard?" Garfield wondered.

"My over-protective father…" she measly said. Garfield came to a realization.

"So he knows everything!?" he walked around in a frantic manner.

"No, my bodyguard only reports dangerous activity." Rachel kind of wanted to keep that information tight-lipped. But how could Garfield have noticed?

"Like what?" Garfield probed on.

"Dangerous activity." Rachel grinded her teeth in annoyance.

"So if I started making out with you, would the dude tell your dad?" Garfield seemed to be a little calm…and too interested. Rachel grimaced. "No, but—"

"Awesome! Can I meet him?" Garfield pulled on the mall door handle and tried to take a step in. _Mauricio _was now sitting on a bench shaking a gumball machine in anger. Apparently, it ate his quarter.

"Absolutely not."

Garfield peered into the glass and sighed. Rachel looked at him and it was her turn to sigh. Why was it that Garfield was obsessed with physical contact?

"I take it we're not watching the movie anymore."

Garfield's stomach flipped. He remembered Tara's presence in the theater and nearly gagged. He looked over at the heavenly angel next to him and gave her a tight hug. Clearly surprised, her eyes widened but it didn't stop her from reciprocating the action. Rachel's breath caught. Garfield ran his hands softly over her back and Rachel…groaned. Garfield pulled away with a grin. "What was that?"

She instantly blushed and turned around on her heel. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"That little '_hmmm'_," Garfield was soon enough laughing his head off at her discomfiture. She briskly kept on walking, having no clue where she wanted to head off to.

"If a hug did that, imagine what full on bed action would be like!"

Rachel rotated to face him and gave him a cunning expression.

"If you keep talking like that, you won't have the parts needed to enjoy 'full on bed action', Garfield Mark Logan."

He kept the smug look on his face.

"Are you implying there's a chance that you and me would experience 'full on bed action' together…at the same time…in the same place?" He felt himself growing a little discomforted in the bottom of his pelvic area.

"Not even if you were the last man on earth. And you were _dying._"

"Harsh babe. Harsh."

* * *

**Hope it was enjoyable! Again, remember to PM for a preview of next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews!**

**I already have about 30 alerts and this is the...tenth chapter? My other story ('Campers' for short) hasn't even reached that much alerts. Please remember to review!**

**I'm planning the next chapter to have some interaction between Garfield and his friends (Vic, Roy, etc.) and Rachel and hers (Kori, Karen, etc.) I don't know if Gar and Rae will specifically cross paths. They might text each other! lol. Please tell me if I'm doing a good job not going too fast and putting more detail in. I find that very crucial to story success.  
**


	11. Human

Don't own-disclaimer.

**Hope you enjoy! The relationship IS moving forward.**

* * *

Just like any other human being, Garfield Logan had sides. There was the angry side, joyful-comical side, lusty side (that showed up more than usual), and etcetera. Today Garfield felt just average. He felt like a C- minus student. Nothing failed, nothing achieved. He was flipping through the TV channels when his stomach flopped over. It was strange for him to feel this way, yet he knew he kind of deserved it. Garfield was freakishly tall-about 6'3, shockingly handsome, and charming upon first encounter. But he still had drawbacks.

Garfield felt himself getting another one of his monthly migraines and quickly threw his clothes off. No need is splitting another pair of jeans open again. Quickly stabilizing himself on the floor against his kitchen counter, he clenched his teeth as the throbbing in his head grew stronger. His arms expanded in size as he felt his skin stretching to accompany the normal extra body weight. He let out a harsh growl and accidentally snapped his ironing board that was leaning against the wall in half. Excruciating pain surged through his head as he noticed hair extending past his shoulders. Garfield's eyes were closed during the whole process as he couldn't bear to look at himself. Soon enough, his transformation was complete once again and he stood up, now at 7'4. Almost banging his fur-covered head against his cupboard Garfield snarled. He instantly placed a hand over his mouth and kicked his wall. God, why did this have to happen to him? He felt himself sweating uncontrollably even though the fan was spinning rapidly and the windows were open. It had to be at least 20 degrees outside and here was Garfield, sweating like a maniac. He tried to breathe in and out and forced himself not to succumb to the craving of meat. He suddenly noticed blood dripping down his chin and reached for a compact mirror that was under his empty snack cabinet. _Probably Jessica's,_ Garfield thought to himself. Raising the mirror up to his face, he twitched. He didn't look that bad! Just a little hairier…and wow can veins really poke out that far? Garfield threw it against a wall and slumped against the floor, waiting for this minor annoyance to draw to a close.

* * *

The gun was pressed against her temple. She blinked.

"Tryan demands the boy in his lab in one week."

"David, please put the gun down," Rachel she said in deadpan. She was facing a male about her age and size with a small grin on his face. He did as he was told and threw his arms around her shoulders. He laughed.

"Gun's not loaded. You know that right?" the man asked in pure joy. Rachel nodded, reciprocating the hug. "Yes."

"So how've you been?" David asked, placing the gun into his pocket. He walked around the room and lit a cigarette. He gestured his offering of a stick to her, but she politely refused.

"Not good for the lungs."

David's small mouth belted out a hearty laugh. "Right…"

He stroked a Van Gogh painting that was sealed against the wall and examined it by pulling out a small magnifying glass from his polo pocket. "So dad's lookin' for a new victim, huh? He says a…mutant," David was now reading from a small computer screen in his hand. He snorted. "Mutant…" he muttered.

Rachel took a seat in her recliner and stared at her half-brother.

"Fucking crazy," she replied to him in agreement. "I don't understand what's going on. Why the hell is this guy dad's newfound obsession?" she continued in confusion. David shrugged. "Maybe dad's gay?" he joked.

"Hilarious." Her eyes narrowed at him. David pulled out a small toy ball from his storage-sized pockets and bounced it against the tiled floor.

"Why do you care? It's just another experiment. Dad's probably gonna get his body, sedate him, grab a bunch of DNA from the dude, and dump in a bar. The kid will wake up, feel a hangover, and go home and won't remember you, me, or dad. Perfect plan. Dad's updated the amnesic serum, by the way," David stroked his small mustache and shot a small smile at his sister. Rachel nodded. "What if I don't want him to forget me?"

The ball David was previously tossing up into the air froze. In mid-air the round ball of matter was suspended into the air and didn't come back down. David used his finger to wave it around and aimed a sideways glance at Rachel. The air was completely still.

"What do you mean? Are you feeling this guy?" he asked in mock disbelief.

She didn't move. David grabbed his stomach in bouts of laughter.

"You like him!" he pointed a long, scrawny finger at her. She rolled her eyes.

"It's not uncommon for a female to be attracted to a male."

He grinned and ran his palm over his dark brown buzz cut.

"It is for you. When was the last time you had a boyfriend? Seventh grade?" His giggles started to get a bit irritating.

"Shut the hell up. And it was college. Get it right faggot." Rachel shot him a venomous glare. "And he likes me too so…yeah."

David wiped his eyes from the tears of laughter and smiled at her.

"Alright, so he likes you. But then again…every guy does likes you. And I gotta admit, you're pretty hot so-"

"Oh my God, please tell me you didn't say that. We're related David." Rachel spat in repulsion. He shrugged. "Hey, I never said I wanted to bang you."

Her face contorted in disgust as he played with the ball and gravity once again. David spun around three times in his chair and accidentally rammed into a desk. At the same instant he toppled over, Rachel felt herself smiling. That was the highlight of the day. David stood up with a lampshade over his head trying very hard to hide his embarrassed blush. "How old are you now?" he wondered aloud.

"Twenty-three."

"Your lover?" he smirked.

"Twenty-two."

"Ah, fresh meat!"

"What are you talking about? You just turned nineteen six months ago!"

He feigned surprise. "Aw sis you remembered!" David patted his heart and shook his cashmere coat off giving Rachel an odd view.

"Tattoo much?" she asked him, staring at his ink covered arms. Tattoos were flying up his shaven neck and showing themselves in between his fingers. Rachel stomach only churned when she tried to imagine his stomach. Complete mess.

"I got nineteen now," he answered obviously proud of his body art. She shrugged.

"Suits you well."

In fact, it did. David was always a bit of a wild child. Even when he shared a cottage in Switzerland with his half-sister, he was always getting into troubles. He was arrested for marijuana when he was the ripe old age of sixteen (but of course, got diplomatic mercy because dad bailed him out), in Italy he almost burned down a school, and right here in the US David was arrested for DUI. Much of a problem child, eh?

But Rachel was a complete opposite. She was never talkative and yet while she was born with infinite beauty, she never took advantage of her gains. Rachel got straight A's and never cared much for athletics. She met the president and wasn't asked out until she was fourteen. (The boys claimed they were too nervous to approach her and so that really took a toll on her self esteem despite her gorgeousness.) Rachel could use her intellect to squeeze out of any problem and her first kiss came at sixteen-sloppy but delightful nonetheless. Her contradicting life was starting to wear her out.

"Do I get to meet this guy?"

Rachel snapped out of her daze and stared at her familiar. "No."

David raised an eyebrow. "Alrighty then…."

* * *

Rachel stared at her phone as an unusual blush crept onto her pallid cheeks. She summoned every ounce of courage in her body to dial a number.

"Hello?" a high pitched voice came from the other line.

"Kori?" Rachel winced.

"Ohmygod Rachel where have you been? I had to talk to you! Are you okay?" she shrieked in giddiness. Rachel rolled her eyes at her best friend's antics.

"I need some h-help…" she stuttered.

"Are you in jail? Didn't I tell you not to-"

"No, I…"

"Spit it out," Kori laughed.

"How can I be…seductive?" Rachel instantly shut her eyes.

Kori smiled. Seductiveness was her specialty.

* * *

________________________________________________________________________

Thanksgiving was in two days. Garfield trudged through the snow, ignoring the harsh winds. People were laughing, kids were screaming, and the Salvation Army dude was begging for coins. All in the St. Nick of time. Garfield never really cared about holidays. Thanksgiving was just an excuse to eat everything he couldn't and Christmas was for him to find girls to kiss under the mistletoe. See? Nothing special.

But this year he needed something new. He was a single good looking guy with a regular job. He was absent from a family but at least he had friends. But even then, his male buddies would be visiting their family and Garfield would be all alone scarfing down a tub of ice cream. This year he wouldn't have a girl in his apartment. This year he wouldn't have any hickeys to show off to the store cashier so he could get discounts. This year he'd be sulking because he had NO ONE. His parents were gone, family was unheard of, friends would be away, and no one wanted to be near a freak anyway. Garfield scowled, making a little girl gasp in fear. He stuck his glove covered hands deeper into his knock-off coat and felt another tension headache coming on. At six foot three with boyishly charming looks, nobody expected Garfield to harbor such a dark secret. When he was six years old, living with his parents in Africa Garfield was attacked by a genetically altered ape. It sounded crazy to everyone back at his parent's lab, but in the villages, the natives were all too familiar with stories of a "green monster" that resided in the deep dwellings of the forests. Anyway, the doctors made sure Garfield's parents were well aware that he couldn't live for more than a few more weeks. His mother mourned and abandoned her studies while his father became increasingly fascinated with his son's well-being. Garfield would spend mornings cheerfully just like any other kid that didn't have to go to school but by night he would suffer from seizures and migraines. A month after his attack Garfield began to grow. He started to grow hair that should've come around sixteen. He grew sharp teeth that were abnormally large for a human, much less a small boy. Horrified, Garfield's father made sure that his mother didn't have a clue about his transformation. He came up with an antidote that would make his son revert back to his normal ways…at least that's what he thought. Garfield was punctured lovingly into his head as if he was receiving a brain biopsy. His father created a serum for his son to swallow and soon enough, Garfield was back to normal. It seemed like a fairytale. But the truth was about to spill out.

Suddenly Garfield felt an unusual surge of ecstasy. Happiness coursed through his veins and poured out of his brain. He sighed. Something in his chest told him that Rachel was the girl for him. He hadn't thought about hooking up with another girl since he met Rachel. And when he kissed her, God he almost melted. As corny as it sounded, Garfield was in love. He pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number, eager to hear her speak.

"Hello?" asked a tired voice.

"Hey." Garfield said.

"What do you want?" she cringed in annoyance.

"Just wanted to talk to you babe," Garfield replied, ignoring her attitude.

She didn't reply.

"Honey, do you want to spend a night over at my place?" he asked. Okay, yeah it was a little early in the relationship but, hey he had to get it moving at a quicker pace than now.

"Garfield…"

"Please?" Funny. He had never had to beg a girl to sleep over.

Rachel sighed. She wasn't one to feel comfortable at a guy's house. But…it was tempting. Suddenly she heard a voice in the background. Of course, it was her father sending orders to his workers. He was shouting about genetic terms, biopsies, and incubation. She grimaced in remembrance of the deal she committed with her father. She wasn't going to drug Garfield, but she was definitely going to have to start making some progress in hunting down Garfield's genetic makeup whether or not he was a mutant.

"Fine."

Garfield's heart flipped. "Awesome babe! I will be at the corner of Maverick's and Thomas in half an hour. Don't forget to bring your sleeping attire. I prefer something red, short, and skimpy but hey, that's just me!"

Rachel blushed. She owned a lot of those kinds of clothes. She just hadn't dared wear any in front of anyone.

"Shut up."

"Please tell me your bodyguard won't be there," he begged, running a hand through his hair.

"He won't. But you do understand I'll have to bring protection right?" she wanted him to make sure that he couldn't try a thing on her.

Garfield laughed.

"Rae baby, what do you think we'll be doing? Getting it on? Well if that's what you want then lemme fix the—"

"No! I didn't mean that. I just wanted…ugh. Garfield?"

"Hmm?"

"Screw you."

Garfield couldn't help but smile. "I hope I can screw you," he replied in an arrogant manner. Rachel shook her head and hung up. If the conversation kept going she would've ended up with shooting herself. That boy, she thought. And then she smiled to herself. A night with Garfield Logan.

* * *

The wall was full of weapons. Tasers, guns, darts, hypnotizers, lasers, compact missiles, assault rifles, blood pistols, you name it. It was all there. Rachel stared at the wall in perplexity. Which one to choose? Her father made sure she left his lair with at least a gun to ensure safety. She couldn't help but argue but her father would not listen. As usual. Rachel pressed a button against the wall and the thin membrane of blue slid over the weapons. She reached out and grabbed the smallest pocket pistol and placed it in her bag. The gun had a barcode and was covered in futuristic skin that an airplane couldn't detect. Rachel turned around and headed out a door, into the various hallways.

* * *

.

He greeted her with a squeezing hug and rub on the back. She hugged back; scared that he would think she was too full of animosity. "We're still going to get married right? In a fake way?" Garfield looked up into her amethyst eyes. She stared back.

"Uh, yeah."

Rachel leaned against his car. "Feel free to express acts of affection," she said sarcastically. Garfield grinned and clutched her soft hand. Rachel loved the way her lotion-feeling hands felt against his rough palm. She had to admit; his crude humor wasn't all that bad. She felt her small gun bump against her ankle.

"Let's go to your place now."

His smile grew bigger. "Getting excited?"

He lead her to the passenger's side and ran over to stick the keys into ignition.

"No, but I know you are." Rachel smirked and Garfield blushed. Almost bumper to bumper with an old, battered minivan, Garfield veered onto the way to his homely abode.

He eyed the girl next to him and took in a breath. God, she was more radiant than ever. Garfield swept his hair out of his eyes and alternated hands on the steering wheel.

"You got all your stuff in that little bag?" he motioned to her purse.

"Yes. It's a hobo bag. It's meant to carry more things."

"Well I think you're anything but a hobo." She shuddered at how Kori suggested that she acted 'girlier'.

She held back a smile. "Thanks."

A long silence followed.

"So no Thanksgiving with your parents?" he wondered, rearranging the view mirrors.

"No. My father is very busy and mother is…well I think she's in Greece," Rachel replied coolly. Garfield nodded and gave a sheepish grin. Why was he feeling awkward again? Oh yeah, because none of his previous girlfriends were as successful and achieving as Rachel. He'd gone for low women. The kind that would pick up several guys at a time in a bar or on a street corner. Garfield's stomach lurched. Rachel picked up a state of nervousness in his eyes and questioned him. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged while turning left off onto a road. "Would you like me more if I wasn't a jerk?"

Rachel raised one eyebrow in oddness. What would make Garfield ask such a question?

"I'm sure I would."

Garfield felt a little bit of reassurance surge through him. He smiled. "Cool."

He stopped at a red light and turned the radio volume down so he could prepare his little monologue. "Rae…this wasn't planned and like, I think you're really cool and stuff. I know you might not be into guys like me 'cause I'm not your type or whatever but I think if you gave me a chance you'd really like me and stuff," he rambled.

Rachel's breath caught as he went on.

"So, uh I met up with an ex of mine and we had this really long conversation. At night I couldn't sleep because I was, uh thinking of how much of a jackass I'd been to my previous girlfriends. I'd date, I'd cheat, I'd lie, and I'd…just be terrible. I used my good looks to take advantage of girls and stuff, so yeah…" He hoped that she understood what he was dying to admit.

Rachel didn't know what to say. She fiddled with her hands. Did Garfield just declare her love for her? Wasn't she the one getting her gun ready while he stuck coins into the parking meter? She looked over at his blushing face.

Garfield never used to be like this. He felt like a new man now that he got all that off his chest. Now all he had to worry about was if Rachel accepted his proposal to start an actual relationship. Garfield pressed on the brakes once again and waited for her response. She opened her mouth, "Garfield I-"

"Please babe."

Oh God, there he went with the nicknames again.

Rachel felt terrible. She actually liked this guy. He was starting to mature and she was getting the sense that he would really wait on her hand and foot. She doubted he'd ever cheat on her.

"Garfield, let's take it slow. Nights at your place, nights at mine. Nothing sexual, okay?

At least not now," she blurted.

Instant horrification fluttered into her cheeks as she refrained from covering her mouth in embarrassment. Garfield nodded as if nothing odd was said. He gave his signature wolfish grin and flashed his pearly whites.

"Yes!" He pumped his fist and ran his hand over her shoulders in affection.

"You won't regret it babe. I'm a changed man," he nodded repeatedly at her serene face.

All Rachel could think was that she absolutely hoped to God that she wouldn't regret it. Now how would she be able to manage a relationship with the guy she was supposed to kill?

* * *

**I had the biggest copy and paste issues with my comp today. So sorry if there are mistakes and repeats! PM for a preview and THANK YOU for reviewing!**

**I'll try to add another before Christmas. RR!  
**


	12. Mend

** Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy everything else you crazy bunch celebrate! It's exactly 12:00 AM and my little brother is rushing off to sleep so Santa can come. Lol.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I love the feedback! Remember to PM for a preview for next chapter and please, share your ideas with me. Should the romance slow down? Should it speed up? Do you guys want to see some gunshots flying across a random person's backyard? Well just tell me! Hey TitanFan45, I was writing this chapter when you reviewed my last one. Thanks for the review!  
**

* * *

"So what do you wanna do?"

The apprehension couldn't have been denied by a blind quadriplegic. Rachel was sitting on the familiar green couch facing him as he stared into her eyes. She ignored his question and scanned over his apartment. His countertop was bare, the refrigerator was completely devoid of the standard magnets and pictures, and his kitchen table chair was tipped over against the kitchen wall. She noticed how paint was slightly peeling off the wall where the small TV was leaned up against and his trashcan was full of paper. Garfield was beginning to notice her scrutinizing his place and began to feel a bit self conscious. "I had a party last night. Forgot to finish cleaning," he lied easily. It was a talent that came naturally to him. She didn't respond as it was obvious to her that he wasn't telling the truth. Rachel crossed her legs at her ankles and looked over at her watch. Her circadian rhythm was telling her that it was time to meditate as she did on days where she wanted to calm herself down. But how could she relax here in an unfamiliar abode? Garfield gave an involuntary sigh in annoyance. Not annoyance with Rachel, but with himself. He hadn't been in an awkward position with a girl for a while. Now the 'dating one person at a time' thing was a new start. Garfield flipped his hair out of his eyes and slouched back in the couch opposite from his company.

"After I met up with my ex like I was telling you about earlier I remembered she mentioned something about your dad."

Rachel couldn't help but look up.

"I told her I was…dating you. And that your father was Tryan Roth. That's his name, right?"

She slowly nodded.

"Then she totally freaked. She said I was lucky not to have been vaporized or whatever. Crazy huh?" Garfield laughed. After a long pause Rachel opened her mouth.

"My father is not a nice man. He's known for doing some absurd things."

Garfield shrugged. "Rae, you don't have to brag."

"Excuse me?"

"I looked him up on Google and there was NO link to the dude. If he was known, then there would have been something about him."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "That shows how much you know. My father is also known for being the definition of incognito."

Garfield shrugged once again. "'Kay."

"Have you ever been in a dude's apartment?" he grinned. Rachel scowled.

"What makes you think I haven't?"

"I never said you haven't." Garfield teased.

"But you clearly indicated that your thoughts were leaning to the probability that I—"

"Babe, never mind." He shook his head and went over to his kitchen.

"Apple juice? Sprite? Or non-alcoholic white grape wine?" he grinned from the inside of the fridge. Rachel thought of her options and said, "I'll have a bottle of water at room temperature."

Garfield's eyebrows jumped. "That's hot," he smirked.

Rachel ignored his comment and stood up as she felt her gun rattle in her bag. "Tomorrow is Thanksgiving."

He nodded. "Yep."

"Are you doing anything?" she asked slowly.

"Nope."

Rachel's breath started to get a bit uneven as she mustered up courage to say what she felt.

"Would you like to spend the night at my place tomorrow night?"

Rachel hoped to God that she didn't sound too desperate, but by Garfield's reaction she knew he didn't detect an ounce of desperation in her voice.

"Totally!" he handed her the bottle of water she craved and placed an arm over her shoulders. They were now sitting on his clover colored sofa, knees touching. In a blink of an eye Rachel's head was against his chest with a warm blanket covering them. While Garfield attempted to flip to a channel he knew both would appreciate, Rachel instantly pushed him away. She glared.

"What's wrong with this picture?" she grumbled in exasperation. Garfield looked at her with innocent eyes.

"I have no clue!"

Rachel stood up and pushed him against the couch, his cheek smashed into a decorative pillow. "Don't you dare try to touch me like that again."

Her voice had grown into rage and fury as his built frame seemed to deflate under her anger. She was a centimeter close to kneeing him in the stomach. Garfield's face wasn't tranquil nor horrified. He was clearly surprised. Usually girls liked it when he tried to inconspicuously move them onto his lap.

"S-sorry."

Rachel watched his meek expression turn into eeriness and prayed to God that she wouldn't scare him off. They continued to sit on the couch as a commercial about cell phone plans played and she twirled the top of the bottle off to take a sip. Garfield watched.

"I really didn't mean to."

"It's fine."

"God, are you bipolar? You don't care when we hold hands and suddenly I try to get just a little bit closer and bam! Do you think I'm gonna molest you or something? I'm not that type of dude," Garfield wanted her to be sentient that he was a changed man. He'd reached new horizons.

"I'm aware of that Garfield. I just…usually it's not like this," she admitted, feeling another heat wave flush into her cheeks. Gosh, she wished she was tan like him at the moment.

"Like this? You mean touchy-feely?"

Rachel nodded, diverting his eyes. Garfield's eyes widened.

"No way. But you're totally h-gorgeous and pretty and stuff." He eased his way into having her hand in his. Rachel held her composure at the much needed compliment and fought back a smile. "Th-"

"Babe you gotta stop being so uptight. You're the only girl I've never made smile. That's gonna have to change. What'll it take for you to smile? Jokes, weird faces, want me to tickle you?"

"That is definitely not needed." Rachel defended.

Garfield smirked. "Maybe it is."

"I swear to God if you touch me I'll-"

"What? Kill me?" he laughed, breathing lightly onto her neck. Rachel suddenly stiffened.

"I'd never do that to you."

Garfield kept on laughing. "Good, I wanna be able to see my grandkids."

His clownish demeanor made Rachel feel so at alleviated and comfortable. Garfield took his sweet time to lose himself in her eyes as she stared back with unintended feelings of love. His breathing slowed tremendously and before he knew it, Rachel was sitting on his lap stroking his hair. They pulled away from the stare and blushed furiously as they tried to refocus on the television which took away from the romantic dim room. Rachel slid off as soon as she could and stood up to face him. "Um, where can I sleep?"

Garfield leered. "Well you have three choices-here on the couch, the guest bedroom, or mine. Take your pick," he waggled his eyebrows at her. Rachel ignored his lewd comments and headed down his hallway as if she knew his apartment from every nook to cranny to crack in the wall. "Guest room sounds great."

Sticking her electric toothbrush back into her bag, Rachel gave herself one last look into Garfield's mirror. She didn't look too skimpy, but she didn't look too middle school. Rachel ran a hand over the red cloth that covered the upper part of her thighs and suddenly thought about what Garfield would think. Would he laugh? Would he immediately grope her? She heard a knock on the bathroom door and slowly turned around.

"I wanna say good night," Garfield peered at his watch and read 10:29 PM. Usually he'd be out…hunting for food or clubbing with friends but life was taking a turn. And he liked it.

"Hold on."

Rachel exited out of his bathroom through another door that led into the guest bedroom and flung her items onto the twin sized bed. She sighed. She absolutely adored the sleeping arrangements. She loved the plainness of it all. The ivory popcorn walls, the wrinklyness of the comforter, and the Batman lamp in the corner—was lovely. Though it seemed as if it was decorated for a child, Rachel could tell it was kept clean. Garfield hadn't bothered to iron the blanket, but she knew he carefully made this room up for her. It smelled of a mix between laundry detergent and cologne—the kind that she smelled on him when they first hugged. Running her foot over the tattered edges of the olive colored rug, she smiled. She smiled at no conformity. She smiled at no high expectations. She smiled at no plush royal purple pillows. Rachel heard a far-off knock and quickly opened the bedroom door to find Garfield's back to her. He turned around. "There you are! Thought you fell asleep or something. I brought you some toiletry like stuff."

"I'm staying for a night, not a week Gar," Rachel murmured gently. He expertly hid his dejected face behind another smile. "I know babe," he handed her a towel and some other things as he stepped into the room.

An awkward moment occurred as Garfield considered hugging her. He took another step forward and found Rachel's hand stroking his hair—a little roughly. He closed the gap between them and they briefly hugged it out as if all the tension was going to throw up into the moment. She kept playing with his hair, hoping he wouldn't care about it and discovered Garfield's ache to play with the hem of her pajamas. Goosebumps sailed through her body and she pushed him away and snarled, "I should've known better."

"Maybe you should've," he shot back with a dreamily look. Garfield winked at her before bowing out of the bedroom and into his.

As soon as he left, Rachel looked down into the palm of her hand.

Two strands of blond hair.

* * *

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* * *

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* * *

Rachel was sleeping until she heard thumps and sounds like glass breaking coming from another bedroom. She hoped to God that Garfield was not with another girl at this time. She unwillingly got up to investigate the commotion but the bed had some kind of 'magnetic force' on her. This bed was a little squeaky and rickety and yet, it was calling her name. She loved how she wasn't surrounded by hidden computer screens and remote control lighting. Rachel turned the handle of the doorknob and walked down to Garfield's bedroom only to hear a loud groan. It sounded…painful and not pleasurable like she thought it would be. She pressed her ear over the cold, wooden door and heard a low growl. She quickly pulled away. That was scary. What was Garfield hiding in there? Lions? Rachel instinctively placed her hand on the doorknob into his room but stopped. That would be a total invasion of privacy. Rachel sure wouldn't like it if someone barged into her bedroom…but she still fancied the idea of checking up on him. After all, if all the tall tales about mutants her father told happened to be true, she wanted to be sure and not dash out in ridiculous fear. Rachel slowly opened the door and suppressed a gasp. Garfield was living in a complete pile of garbage. His mattress was completely torn up, the cotton and polyester was thrown around the room. His dresser was destructed with the drawers in pieces, fresh wood craving splattering onto the floor. Rachel stepped forward and noticed a rustling outside of the broken window. Careful not to hurt herself, she vigilantly sauntered around and saw a head. The head was violently shaking and full of green hair. Suddenly its body emerged and Rachel's breath caught. It was scarier than horror movies combined and yet it was baffling. She saw a monstrous lime green body fall against a chair and its hairy hand gripped a branch. Veins stuck out of its limbs as it stood up to full height. Rachel couldn't glimpse at his face because of the shadows.

"Goddamn it."

Rachel heard a curse that sounded exactly like Garfield and that was all the proof she needed. Garfield was more than special. Way more than special. The figure gave loud shrieks and grunts and was suddenly diminishing in size. A human body was now thrown in a pile of leaves, tired and breathless. Okay, so Garfield could…transform. She could fix that. After all, it could be worse right? He could be a serial rapist. But he's not. So Rachel had nothing to worry about. Suddenly one of Rachel's many fears were confirmed.

Against the moonlight, Rachel noticed bright red blood dribbling down the male's now pale chin. She officially gasped. A small animal was squeaking beside him in agony. Rachel backed away in horrification.

* * *

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Garfield woke up in a pile of wood and debris…another normal morning. He stood up and strolled over to his own bathroom to brush his teeth…just like every normal morning. He could still taste metallic-y liquid in his mouth. The flavor almost made him cry. Suddenly while putting his toothpaste back into his holder, he dashed out of his bedroom to see if his 'roomie' was awake. He didn't bother to open the door; he jumped in just to surprise her and hoped her pugnacity was reduced in the mornings. Garfield was dressed in his boxers and nothing was over his bare chest as he stared at a clean made bed. It was like no one ever stayed in the room. Garfield dejectedly wandered over to the bed, looking forward to smell her new orange shampoo scent on the pillows. His eye caught a shiny piece of paper with writing beautifully scrawled on it. He read:

_Garfield- thanks for the stay. I was going to call you to stay over tonight at my place as spoken about before but something came up. Sorry. Call me sometime tonight though._

_-Rachel A. Roth_

Garfield raised an eyebrow.

Okay, something was definitely up.

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**I like where it's heading. If you have any confusions, concerns, or comments, please don't hesitate to type!**

**Please review! Besides, a review could bring up the Christmas spirit! **

**P.S. It's not exactly Christmas yet in the story. It's Thanksgiving. BUT, the next chapter should be closer to Xmas. Be expecting a kiss! :)  
**


	13. Rise

** This one is short but awesome. I personally love it because the beginning has some of my well-known humor lol. I really hope you like even though I cut out some of the stuff that's going to be in the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**PS: RabulaTasa, you're correct that I hadn't used 'horror' right. It _is _a word though. But thanks for that! Yes! Somebody finally nitpicked! lol  
**

* * *

"Come on man, I heard a couple chicks talkin' about you last night," Vic's eyebrows rose as he lifted up a large, dark hand to pat his friend on the shoulder. Garfield placed his chin in his hands and shrugged. At this point, he could have asked if the said female was impressive looking but was there a point in that? No. In his mind, no one topped Rachel Roth. He withheld a sigh and continued to stare at the large flat screen in front of him.

"Gar?" Vic waved a hand in front of his friend's face.

"Dude! I'm not feeling so hot." It was all Garfield could say at the time and it was all he could think of because his mind was in shambles. Mixed between feelings of infatuation and sentiments on his "bestial brother" there wasn't much happiness floating around in his head. After a flip of the hair on his head Garfield grabbed the remote and switched to channels like Lifetime and SoapOpera, instead of the usual ESPN. He relaxed Vic's recliner only to lay his sock- clad feet on the calf area and reached for a nacho sitting on the coffee table, layered with cheese and salsa.

"When was the last time you showered?" Vic asked, tossing him a can of beer.

Garfield shrugged.

"'Cause I swear those pit stains were not there when you walked in."

"Who was talking about me last night?" Garfield asked. The conversations he usually had with his friend lasted long whiles but today was another story. He felt as if he was pulling his best friend down into the vat of putrid acid he was doomed to falling into.

"Veronica and a couple others. Said you were a god," Vic laughed and propped his feet onto the table. The statement seemed to boost Garfield's confidence.

"Courtney and Jasmine were saying that they saw you out with another chick the other day." Vic popped open another can of beer and ignored his vibrating phone that was receiving a call from Richard Grayson.

"What'd they say?"

"Said you looked happy. Courtney said the chick was hot—looked like she got implants, her hair was 'uh-mazing' and had the style of a goddess, and she drove a fierce ride." He imitated the way the females at the gathering last night had spoken about Garfield's new friend. Victor cast a stare at his friend and waited for an explanation. Garfield noticed the intense lack of eye blinking and began to crack.

"Her name is Rachel."

Vic grinned. "Banged her yet?"

"What? No! I mean, ye-no. No, I haven't," Garfield admitted, pure embarrassment written on his face.

"Whatcha waiting for?" Vic tossed another can of beer to Garfield and watched him set it aside only to reach for Sprite instead.

"I'm waiting to see if she's ready to commit her heart fully to me."

Victor instantly grabbed at his sides and threw his head back. "You're serious?"

Garfield watched him in confusion. "Yeah man."

Victor continued with his giggling until his face lit up with disgust at the two males kissing on the TV screen. "What are we watching?"

"Brokeback Mountain. It's a tale of two-"

"I know exactly what the hell it is! Why man? Why?" Victor attacked Garfield for the remote and quickly changed the channel. "That's bullshit man…" he muttered under his breath. "Why you going all soft on me? Last night you texted me 'cause you wanted to talk about 'feelings'! I thought you were April Fooling me!"

Garfield sighed. "It's just that I'm in love."

Victor's eyes widened. "With a dude?"

"No! R-Rachel."

"Oh that big-boobed chick?"

"Don't talk about her like she's a piece of meat. She's more than that." Garfield felt heat rising to his cheeks as anger boiled through his veins.

"Chill, I was playin'. Go on."

"It's just that she makes me forget about everything else. She's sarcastic, but I know that deep down she cares about me. I can't explain it but I know we're meant to be." Garfield looked up from his nervously tapping feet and saw Victor trying to hold back chortling and amusement. "Dude!" Garfield yelled.

"Sorry, I was just waiting for the part about 'gliding through fields of strawberries' to come in," he sniggered. Garfield grabbed his coat that was sitting on a sofa and hurriedly soared to the front door.

"Where ya going?" Victor asked with a pleased look on his face.

"To church!" Garfield hollered.

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**TT.**

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**

Basically, there are types of mutations- _point_ mutations and _somatic_ mutations. Point mutations occur in one nucleotide of a chromosome and usually aren't a big deal. Some people with this kind of mutation may deal with albinism, spots of color in hair, or even different color irises. Now somatic mutations are completely random changes in an entire chromosome—and those are the ones you might want to look out for. Unlike point mutations, these aren't so harmless. At least--that's what Rachel's high school mind remembered.

Rachel lifted her head up from the microscope she was currently viewing and noticed something very strange. If she compared her findings of Garfield's hair with another young man of the same age, Garfield's DNA wouldn't be similarly structured. BUT, if she took parts of a grizzly bear her father kept frozen in the NICU Rachel would notice that his hair had more in common with the bear than with another human. She pulled away and slid to the other side of Lab 2 only to flip through pages of a medical book that only came out in Japan and sold 20 copies in the US. Rachel's eyes widened as she saw Garfield's 'condition' in vivid pictures printed on the ashen pages.

"Holy Hell."

She heard footsteps nearing and suddenly closed the book. The door lock clicked and in an instant her father emerged with a sinister smile.

"Found anything?"

"Not at all."

"I'm sure you have."

"Are you questioning my research?"

"Not at all." Her father grinned even wider and slowly picked up his cane and aimed at the desk she was presently sitting at. With perfect precision, the cane knocked the book Rachel was previously viewing and it opened onto a very special page. Rachel's throat tightened.

"Hiding something, eh?" he chuckled light-heartedly. She noticed him getting closer and her mind tried to figure out the quickest way to escape. He placed a bony hand on the book and scanned over it until realization flowed to his brain.

"Why are you reading about Sakutia?"

Rachel didn't answer. He was not about to make her crack.

"Tell me this instant!" he shouted, shaking the beakers on the counter until they fell onto the tile. Rachel simply stood up and headed for the door. She looked back at her red-faced father.

"Tell you what?" she coyly asked.

"Tell me the reason you were on this page!" His veins were bulging out of his small head.

"Hell no, bitch."

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**Yeah fool! She's standing up to her dad! Remember to review because from here on out..........it'll only get better!**


	14. Flavor

** I hope you guys enjoy that latest installment! lol, and thanks for the reviews. They mean the world! Keep reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: don't own TT.**

**Note: Remember that Rachel isn't a very fastidious person. She's not going to treat Garfield like he's some alien freak that eats people's heads. Remember that!  
**

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"Last time I saw Tara she was freaking huge. Like a ball, man. Like a ball."

Victor slapped his best friend on the shoulder and they both strolled around the bustling street corner.

"Really?" Garfield questioned.

"Yep. Um…didn't she tell you she was preggers?" Victor wondered slowly.

"Like a week or two ago."

Victor was clearly taken aback. "Dang."

"She told me she was five months pregnant," Garfield muttered through clenched teeth.

Victor's shock was piling up, "Really? She looks bigger than that. Like at least, seven or something dude."

Garfield shook his head and continued to walk aside Victor with a disgruntlement about him. He stuck his hands into his jeans pockets and stared down at his snow stained boots. Victor had been keeping quieter lately since Garfield revealed to him that he wanted to change his player ways. No more was he going to stroll up to a female and convince her to let him fondle her. No more was he going to pick random women in a terrible attempt to find a soul mate (or as they liked to call it- bed partner). So what could Victor Stone do? Stand by his friend, of course!

"She was gonna tell me the baby was mine if I didn't break up with her that one night."

His words cut through the cold air as Victor turned around to face him and they both walked into a small book shop for privacy.

"Then she married this German guy and I bet you it's not even his. She was cheating on me…I wonder with who," Garfield said, avoiding eye contact with Vic.

"I thought he was Russian."

"Vic!"

"Sorry…"

"Well man, you got yourself a fresh start 'cause to me it sounds like it was destiny. You were able to squeeze out of that relationship and bam! You're a new dude. Destiny, man. Destiny never lies."

"Well I wasn't sure if I believed until that stuff 'til I met Rachel," Garfield was now flipping through a car magazine with great zeal. Victor nodded and felt a sudden buzz in his jean pocket. Garfield watched Victor slide outside for a second with his phone pressed to his ear and then dip back in. "Hey man I gotta go. Talk to you later," he said, placing his phone back into his pocket.

Garfield nodded. "Later."

Left alone, Garfield decided to wander about the old bookstore. He never imagined himself in a place like this- antique-like. He sauntered through the various rows of book shelves and found himself not interested one bit in novels. He flipped through mysteries and found himself yawning. Garfield grabbed a romance of a shelf and rolled his eyes at the sheer corniness it beheld. Lastly, he turned through pages of a book about the African plains and knew that nothing in it would interest him—even though it had a lot about his surroundings when he was growing up. Garfield was about to walk out of the book store in a huff until he spotted a recognizable person. His new girlfriend. She was sitting on a small couch with a book in her hands and a cup of steaming coffee beside her. She looked absolutely serene and happy. She wasn't rolling her eyes, frowning, or even shaking her head in disapproval. Garfield let a sincere smile grace his face and he walked over to the couch beside her. He held back a chuckle when she didn't notice him snake his arm over her shoulders and realized that was a signal to go deeper. Garfield pressed his lips on her collarbone and quickly received a cringe from her.

"Garfield?" She asked with a shocked expression. She was NOT about to let what she saw that night get in the way of what she now saw in his innocent expression.

"Hey," He smiled at her, folding the corner of the page she was on and placing it aside.

"What are you up to in here?" he wrinkled his nose and scooted closer to her in happiness.

"Reading."

Garfield grabbed the book once again. "Mutagen Properties?"

She nodded slowly. "Correct."

He raised an eyebrow but was quickly deterred at her face. "You look amazing today."

"Thank you," she said at his smooth talk. Realizing that she wasn't blushing or smiling at his comment, Garfield stopped her from grabbing at the book again and kissed her temple. She trembled. "G-Gar people are watching…"

He laughed and looked around at the kids staring at the two with disgust. He could've sworn that one said, "Blech!"

Garfield didn't want to kiss her lips just yet (like he had done chastely in the car before) because he wanted it to be as special as possible. Perhaps, they could share a longing kiss under fireworks or even at a park. At this Garfield got an incredible idea!

"Wanna go somewhere?" he asked.

"What place do you have in mind?" she questioned staring down at her book again.

"I dunno. Someplace fun. Someplace away from here where it's just us." Garfield placed his hands in his lap and glared up at the crusty painted ceiling.

"I'm busy."

"Reading about mutag- mutati- mutas—"

"Mutagens," she corrected.

"Whatever," he grinned flippantly and attempted to pull her out of the couch. Rachel didn't mind that her research showed Garfield's DNA was altered. From just examining his zest to be with her she concluded that he was just a regular human male. But then again…she couldn't just exclude what she saw the night she stayed at his place.

"Please?" he supplicated. Garfield ran a hand through his luxuriant hair and gaze into her eyes. "Do your eyes change colors?"

"Eyes do not change colors. They are merely percepted differently by different people. Or the lighting could have an effect on the irises. My eyes can be hazel, amethyst, or even shades of blue—depending on the way you viewed them," she discussed with him.

"Wow. You're a genius." Garfield began to feel a bit uncomfortable at the lack of science he comprehended. Rachel smiled again and stood up. "Let's go."

He walked out of the book shop right after her.

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**TT.**

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**

The snow was obviously not going to diminish tonight, contrary to what the weatherman said on the TV this morning. Garfield led Rachel to a small area where grass was rare this time of year and benches were covered in heaps of snow. Rachel slid her glove-covered hand into his bare hand and they both walked around the park without talking, just wanting to enjoy each other's company. They found a small, clean bench to sit on under a roof that was especially for people looking for quiet and privacy. Garfield looked at her.

"Christmas is in six days. Are you doing anything?"

Rachel doubted her father would welcome her for a meal. She smiled at the thought of standing up to him. Even though she was positioning herself away from her father's immoral group, she knew she would be kept under close watch. Who knows? Maybe someone could have been watching them right now? Her thoughts trailed back to the male in front of her. "I'm not. Are you?"

"Nope. Wanna do something? Like stay over my place again?" he asked, trying not to seem anxious. Rachel sighed in relief. "That sounds great."

"BUT you can't leave like you did."

"Why not?" She said in tranquility; enjoying the sounds of the wind and birds.

"You gotta at least let me cook you breakfast!" he grinned like a child at her. Rachel let him place his arm around her waist.

"And you gotta let me shower too. Or…we could save the planet and shower together…" he flirted. Rachel laughed.

"That is very mannerly," she said sarcastically. Garfield cast his eyes on her face and let his view roam down her body. She seemed so happy. He suddenly felt his heart thump just a bit harder than before. Garfield grabbed both of her hands in an attempt to romanticize the moment.

But that attempt was failed.

Both adults tumbled into the snow! Rachel scowled at him on top of her and was about to speak until she was cut off.

"Remember when I gave you that tiny kiss in the car?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't get too angry.

"Yes…" She growled. To her, his query was completely irrelevant to the situation occurring.

Garfield sighed and was close enough to breathe on her face. He neared closer.

"Well that was NOT our first kiss, okay?" he made clear that it was just a symbol of friendship.

"Okay…"

Garfield neared her face and kissed her. The moment was explosive. At first, Rachel was surprised at his act of boldness but she quickly eased into circumstances. She felt his hands roam down her back and latch onto her thigh. Rachel ran her hands through his hair and proceeded to kiss him with the fervor he was showing. Tongues roamed, and soon enough the kiss ended from lack of air. The entire backside of her body was covered in snow—but she didn't care.

"THAT was our first kiss," he waggled his eyebrows and caressed the side of her face ever so gently. Rachel couldn't help but smile even though this was a new found comfort for her.

"I'm wet," she replied in mock annoyance at her snow-soaking wet clothes. Garfield laughed with a husky breath.

"You better be."

Rachel shook her head at his obvious arousal. She noticed him staring her down and pulled him back down for another heated kiss.

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**TT.**

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**Take note that Garfield is transforming more into a gentleman. Maybe he's not all the way there, but where would be the fun if he was 100% chivalrous? **(wink, wink.)

So anyway, Rachel is falling for him but of course, her dad is going to lure her back in sooner or later...

Violence and blood will follow (but not without the romance) so remember to PM me for a preview of the next chapter! Ask and you shall receive. Just remember to review! I gotta know if I'm doing well.

Thanks!


	15. Intensity

**Sorry I took so long. But here it is! To all the people that supported me on this fic, thanks so much! To everyone I couldn't reply to in time, sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for everything. And thanks a lot to 'TheWritingTeaMan' and 'Black Raven 13' for help! You guys rock! **The end is the best. So don't hurry!

Disclaimer: I don't own TT.

* * *

David didn't want to be mad at his own sister. She had always been there for him when he needed to bailed out. She was the one that helped him quit smoking marijuana. She was the one that unintentionally made him laugh at the stupid things when life was biting his ass. Now she was pissing him off. How dare she turn against the man that raised them? How dare she not help him with a simple experiment when their father had given them every material thing they begged for? Why did she have a drastic change of heart? It was because she was in love. David cringed at the thought. He wanted to be happy for his sister, he really did. But somewhere deep inside, a sick feeling lurked deep within him that said that before anyone could be truly happy, they had to satisfy Tryan Roth first.

He noticed Rachel's car wasn't in front of her apartment and he instantly drove off to the place he was certain she'd be. The giant Willow trees gave the normally seeming peaceful place a sense of creepiness mixed in with amity but David ignored it. He slammed the car door behind him, almost parking in water and lugged himself around to find his sister.

"Rachel!"

She slowly turned her head to see a man with tattoos painted all over his body. "What?"

David looked at her sitting on a small bench with a large novel in her lap, kicking a small pebble around. "Me and dad need you."

She scoffed. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you can handle it."

His nose wrinkled at the naturalness engulfing the surroundings and repulsion laced his face. "Ew." He muttered a couple of words while trying to reach her but almost ended up falling into mud. Grass stained his brand new shoes as he frantically reached to straighten out his now creased tie. "How can you stay here?"

"How can you stay in a place that smells like disinfectant all the time?" she countered.

"It's way too forest-y out here," he remarked. "Anyway, dad told me you 'joined forces with the adversary'," he continued.

She rolled her eyes. "You mean refused to cooperate with his stupid research? Yes. Yes I did."

"Why? Dad knows his stuff. He says this guy is a freak and he probably is! Besides, dad would know all about freaks," he said, trying to lighten up the mood. She sighed.

"NO. I tested Garfield's DNA. Nothing odd came up."

David slapped his forehead. "You're lying, damnit. You know he has Sakutia."

"Not anymore," she muttered. David couldn't believe how stubborn his sister was. She would not budge. After all her boyfriends in college, this had to be the first time she was so 'deep in love'. He squirmed just thinking about their childhood together. She was beautiful and well wanted for most guys, but even though David was younger than her he was extremely protective. She was who he could count on. Now he wasn't so sure about anything.

"Dad thinks—"

"He's not my dad. He's a monster," she bitterly sputtered, lacing her words with venom.

"And Garfield's not?" he defied with a sense of smugness.

"Rae, you're blind. Blinded by love. As stupid as it sounds, this guy is making you soft. I even checked his DNA. Yeah that's right. I used the leftovers and found traces of the Sakutia virus in it. Don't you know that it only takes one cell to view the entire DNA makeup?" he said, practically yelling. Rachel shook her head.

"Yes, I actually went to college. I'm knowledgeable of that."

David groaned. "Imagine all the money we'd get!"

"I don't care about the damn money. What would happen to Garfield? He'd be an international—"

"CELEBRITY?" David finished.

"No. He'd spend the rest of his life getting poked and prodded at because every scientist knows that Sakutia has been dead for one hundred years. Imagine the turmoil," she spat in anger.

David finally realized he couldn't get through to her. He clenched his fist and reached into his pocket for a vital paper. "It's not like the people around here don't know something weird is going on. Read this." He tossed the paper at her and she reluctantly lowered her eyes to read it.

_**Strange animal spotted soaring through skies and wandering through the forests.**_

_**Some locals claim 'Bigfoot' is back!**_

_**One boy is now in the hospital because he says a strange animal' attacked him.**_

Rachel looked back up at David. It was true. People already are getting suspicious.

"Well if Garfield does have the Sakutia virus in him, why is it _now _that it's finally acting up?"

David shrugged. "Remember that those kinds of viruses are an on and off kind of bug. It happens."

Rachel crumpled up the piece of paper and felt anger building up in her.

"I'm still not helping."

David teeth meshed. "Fuck you."

She shrugged. "Right back at you."

"You better watch yourself then."

"Right…" she said, almost feeling a laugh coming on by his threat.

"In fact, you better watch your little boyfriend. You never know what could happen."

Rachel instantly stood up. "You are not going to hurt him."

"You never know," he grinned slyly.

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**TT.**

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"I wanna meet your girlfriend," Victor commented. Garfield looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, you should meet her. She's amazing."

"In bed?"

Garfield shook his head at his friend's innocence. "No man, I told you we haven't done any of that. I like having a pure relationship."

Victor nodded. "Alright, she must be really amazing if she's got you whipped."

"I'm not whipped," Garfield laughed, reaching for a small can of root beer. Victor chuckled along with him. He pressed the power button on the remote control to find a sports game on. He noticed Victor flipping through his cell phone; edginess engulfing every move he made. Garfield's eyes flickered back and forth at the television and his best friend on the couch next to him. He watched sweat drip down his temple and took note of the way he wiped his large, brown hands onto his khakis.

"You okay?"

Victor looked up with a jerk and faked a smile. "For sure. Ain't nothing wrong man. Nothing. Life is bright and shining."

"Dude…" Garfield laughed. Victor placed his vibrating phone back into his pocket and continued to pretend to be engrossed with the currently playing furniture commercial.

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**TT.**

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Rachel sunk into Kori's bed. She covered herself in the newly bought covers and muted the plasma screen television she proudly displayed on the bedroom wall. She found herself staring at the high tray-like ceiling when Kori walked in.

"Rachel! I did not expect a visitor at this time?" she said with a pleasantly surprised smile. Rachel pulled the sheets off her head and failed to suppress an embarrassing beam at the lack of clothes she flaunted.

"Are you sure? Judging from your…non existing clothes I'd say Dick was coming over." Ever since the dispute earlier today with David this had to be the first time she truly laughed. Kori blushed and dipped back into her closet, rummaging for appropriate clothes for her friend's visit. She dashed out, flying onto the bed where Rachel was and stared at her with gossiping eyes. "So?"

"So?"

"There must be a raison d'être for your impromptu stay!" she giggled, flipping her red hair out her eyes. Rachel felt happiness flow through her own body and she couldn't decide why. Could it be that she had a very loving boyfriend? After all, she found roses on her doorstep this morning with Garfield's small signature. Or could it be that she felt 'girly' again because of this time with her best friend, Kori Anders? Besides, the last time she talked to her was by text message and that was four days ago. But lately both of them had been pretty occupied.

"I met a guy."

"Ooh! Is he this 'Garfailed' you have been speaking of?" Kori asked. Rachel shook her head. "No. His name is _Garfield_ and we're dating now. It's official." Rachel shut her eyes for the big finale. Kori let out a high pitched a squeal.

"No way!"

Rachel blinked. "Yes."

"Is he absolutely gorgeous?"

She bit her lip in slight discomfiture at the thoughts she had earlier on when she met him.

"Oh yes."

"Is he muscular?"

"Very."

"Tall stature?"

"6 foot 3, I believe."

Kori screamed in delight so loud that Rachel threw a pillow at her in effort to shut her up. She loved her, but she could get a little crazy.

"Does he have big hands and feet?" Kori said, stifling another squeal.

"What does that matter?"

"Everything." Kori oddly smiled and leaned against the headboard to continue speaking with her friend. Suddenly she heard a phone ring and watched Rachel answer it, hoping that'd she'd get a chance to speak with this so called 'gorgeous man'. Rachel was completely natural when she picked up her cell phone but the slight smile that graced her face was instantly replaced with a look of terror and worry-filled eyes. She angrily threw the phone against the wall, causing the battery to topple onto the carpet.

"Come on. We're going to the hospital."

"Why?" Kori asked, confusion lacing her voice. Rachel impatiently dragged her car keys out of her bag and noticed that it was already 2AM.

"Garfield's been shot."

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**Oh yes! A cliffie! Please review, it'll make my day after all the dragging from school and razzling from parental units. Remember to PM for a preview of the next chapter, I'll be sure to get it to you as fast as I can. **

**Review! If you review, I'll review you back! (Promise. Or you can eternally flame me.) **

**:)  
**


	16. Exam

**Alright, for anyone keeping track this is the latest installment in WTF. lol. When Time Freezes. It's actually kinda a filler/not filler type chapter that leads up to the next one where we will learn a LOT about Raven and Beastboy. Thanks for reading! And don't forget to review!**

Disclaimer: Don't own TT.  


* * *

The ticking was unbearable. The dryness in her mouth only added to the nausea and worst of all, she could only imagine what horror her boyfriend had gone through. Her mind was in a mush and her stomach in knots. She couldn't even pay attention to what the doctor in front of her was speaking about. Rachel knew he was talking about layers of skin and loss of blood, but right now she could care less about the details. She just had to see him. She was lucky her legs were able to move because if not, she'd still be glued to her seat jittering about with her fingers. Rachel was lead into the room and the sounds of screaming patients and giggling nurses invaded her ears. Hospitals suck. That's the conclusion she made about hospitals when she was twelve. They suck. The doctor was now standing outside chatting with a nurse while she stood with the door shut behind her…staring at a sleeping body. She looked around and grimaced at how homely the room tried to be. Not even a million paintings of fruit could have made this room look any better than the standard hospital room. She had to admit, the temptation to run out, move to Mexico, and change her name to Rosa Lopez did intrigue her. After all, this was all her fault. She just couldn't stay away could she? She didn't dare admit that she should have listened to her father but a part of her mind wanted all of this to be over. It was like Garfield was some kind of uncharted territory and she was the first one to explore his thoughts, feelings, and emotions…and vice versa. She was going to kill David. Surprisingly, she heard a small groan and noticed Garfield flop onto his back. He flipped on the TV and stayed on the cooking channel as Rachel with an irregular heartbeat neared him.

"Garfield?" she croaked. A pale, gaunt face turned to look at her.

"Babe!" Garfield instantly sat up waiting for her to throw her arms around him…but she never did. He knew he looked different. His brilliant emerald eyes were now an ashen olive that unhealthily matched his pasty skin. Did he disgust her? Garfield motioned for her to come near him and she complied with his wishes. Just when dejection of repulsing his girlfriend started to take him over, a pair of lips came crashing onto his. The two continued to kiss until oxygen became crucial and Rachel pulled away, biting her lip in anxiousness. Garfield couldn't help but stare at how even at about five in the morning, she was beautiful. No make up. No mascara. Au natural. He wanted to kiss her again. Rachel's eyes floated down to his bandaged shoulder and scarred stomach.

"Not that bad," he said, trying to keep her worry-free. Rachel ignored it and blinked a few times. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a large man. One of her father's proficient killers— the handsome and young Kellan Smith. _Shit_, she thought. She groaned at how everyday life was going to weave into complication and more complication.

"You okay?" he asked, waving a hand gently before her face. She gave a small smile.

"Only a flesh wound. Nurses said it would heal in a couple of weeks. Ha, I can barely feel it," he laughed. Rachel quickly un-bandaged the lesion which reciprocated a wince from Garfield. She threw it onto the floor and refrained from a gasp. It was not was she expected.

"Where is it?" she asked in amazement. Garfield raised an eyebrow.

"Right there."

She was staring at blotchy skin. No signs of gunshot wound would have ever flowed into a person's mind if they were looking down at it. The cut seemed as if Garfield accidentally scraped his shoulder against some concrete. Rachel stared at him in confusion. "I-uh-I heal easily. I've always been that way," he sputtered.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded.

"I was at a friend's house about to walk to my car and outta nowhere this _thing _stabs me in the arm and I passed out. Next thing I know, I'm in a stretcher with a god awful headache and pools of blood under both my arms. I know it doesn't seem like a lot happened, but it was crazy. Wild," he said with no hesitation. Rachel placed her head in her hands and strolled around the room in anger. "Goddamnit."

"What?" Garfield sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I have to tell you something," she mumbled. Okay, this was it. This was the moment where he was either going to cuss in disbelief at the truth or laugh thinking it was all a joke. She sighed.

"What? You're not cheating on me are you?" he teased with a grin. Rachel shook her head.

"My father is really an international 'ethnic cleaner'—"

"Miss?" An old man sauntered into Garfield's hospital room with a box. Rachel looked up. "Message for you." She sighed and felt around her pocket for the blinding laser.

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**TT.**

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Rachel excused herself out of the room and stared at the small box in her hands. The ticking that she was hearing earlier was suddenly getting louder with every pound of her heart.

"Rachel Arella Giuliana Roth! How pleasant to see you!" a familiar young, low male voice came from behind her and she noticed the lights dimming. She quickly spun around for plans to exit in safety. Suddenly a hand clasped around her arms and waist with a rigid and taut grip.

Her face was pinned against a cold, rough wall with a pelvis pressed against her backside.

"Do you know how long I waited to control you?"

Rachel slipped out of his grasp and pulled out a small knife that quickly whipped out of what seemed like a lipstick bottle. Surprise wandered through her mind at how the halls were so vacant and dead-like. Then realization came over her. Garfield was _meant _to stay in the quiet side of the hospital. So when the killing time came no one could hear the screams of agony.

"I loved you. Don't you know that? I still do. I still stare at your picture in my bedroom. What do you think I do when I'm alone and off duty?" the man laughed. Rachel attempted to run but was quickly cut off by a body slamming her onto the floor.

"You're absolutely repulsive."

"And your boyfriend's not?"

"Kellan, go to hell."

The man referred to as Kellan lifted himself off her Rachel. He had decided that she'd been through enough. He dusted off his shirt and pants and leaned his hand over to her so she could get up. Rachel rolled her eyes and stood up without help. That's right. A woman like Rachel Roth does not need any help from a controlling man. Besides, she had one of those and she didn't need another.

"Listen Rae, I'm not like your brother. I'm not like your dad. In fact, your dad sent me here to trap you in the toxic gas cavity under this hospital. You do know that this hospital was built over a hundred years ago, right? Imagine all the souls."

Rachel glowered at him. "Get the freaking point, you asshole."

Kellan laughed. "David's a little bitch, okay? He couldn't even use the .45 to nip your lover. He used the numbing projectile. Your man's fine. Relax." He waited for her breathing to start evening out again.

"I wasn't going to hurt you. I just needed you to be ready in case any shit happens."

"That was a test?"

"Yep. Ha, I'm not _that _rough. I'm on your side. So take this." Kellan tossed her a manila envelope and with great caution she opened it.

"Kellan how much is this?" she said in amazement. All she could focus on at the moment were the bundles of money in the folder. She stared at the dark haired man in disbelief with inexplicable emotions flowing through her veins.

"Doesn't matter. Take it and leave with your boyfriend. You guys don't deserve this," he said with sensitivity lacing his voice. Rachel peered up into his eyes.

"Thanks."

"Do I get a hug?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Do I get to kick your ass?" she shot back with her infamous bitterness.

Kellan smiled. "Ouch. I still remember our little…rendezvous a while back. That kind of stuff never leaves your mind, you know?" he said, tapping his foot against the wall. Rachel ignored Kellan's posh jealousy and relished in the moment. This would probably be the last normal moment she'd ever have before she left for a world of hell.

"That kind of stuff never leaves _your _head."

Kellan blushed at the beautiful girl in front of him.

"Garfield's lucky to have you."

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**TT.**

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Garfield was wide awake.

"Rae, it's six AM. What are we doing?" he asked, rubbing his eyes furiously. He was on the floor of her Mercedes with immense fatigue overcoming him. She was in the front and starting the car with obvious alacrity. When he realized that she didn't reply he sat up and tapped her on the shoulder. She shot a rude glare at him and told him to shut up in a shushed voice. Garfield slouched back into the passenger seat and grabbed the half-bitten apple that was sitting in her lap. His hair was slicked back and he was finally looking back to normal thanks to the shower Rachel permitted him to take at her apartment.

"Road trip," she finally answered. It took him a couple seconds to realize what she meant at the lack of talking that took place beforehand. Garfield nodded.

"Are you mad at me?" he blurted without caring where the destination was. Rachel sighed. "Absolutely not. I'm just a little…aggravated at the moment."

He nodded again and tried his best to be quiet. Until his curiosity got the best of him.

"Who was that dude you were talking to when I came out of the shower?"

She bit her lip, hoping the light rock music coming from the car stereo would distract him from staring at her blushing cheeks.

"My ex."

Rachel's thoughts floated on how Kellan broke up with her with a letter. It was after a night of heated passion where she woke up alone, happy, and a bit sore. She looked around but Kellan Clemons was nowhere in sight and she stood up to read a pink letter on her windowsill. Apparently, he met another woman. She felt so _used. _ She blinked at the pain those memories brought back.

Rachel noticed the thickening awkwardness in the car. Usually Garfield would chat about his childhood With Garfield's embarrassment, their lives in danger, and desire to jump him…she was a little jumpy. Garfield stared out of the window, trying his best not to piss her off. They just started dating and he could _not _screw anything up.

"Things didn't exactly work out…" she continued. Garfield just kept on sitting there, confused on what to do or to reply. He noticed her turn towards him.

"I'll be a better man than him. I swear," he affirmed, squeezing her hand. Rachel laughed and threw her head back.

"You're doing better than he could have ever done in fifty years. And we've only known each other for three months. We're making good progress!"

Garfield's mind was in disarray just looking at her. He had to admit…the lust for her had calmed down. It wasn't that he didn't want to grope her like crazy every second of the day (because he wanted to), but his maturity was finally beginning to show. He tingled at the feeling. He liked that he could be responsible and he was able to resist phone calls from lonely women at 2AM.

"So what's this road trip about?" he asked, moving the conversation further along.

"Learning about each other."

Garfield grinned. "Sweet!"

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**TT.**

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Sorry if it wasn't what you expected. Forgive the mistakes! Review! Lately my PMing isn't working so well....hmmmm....I get this 'message failed' thing. Weird. Hopefully it'll be back up by later tonight. I'm actually uploading the other like...maybe right now. So...stay tuned! **AND NO, Rachel will NOT get willingly romantically involved with her ex, Kellan. **

Make sure you read the previous sentence right. :P

**(Guess where I got that name Twilighters!)  
**

REVIEW! (Thanks to EVERYONE that reviewed. If you'd like to tell me something, maybe not pertaining to this story, drop a review!)...because my PMs aren't working right now...dang it.


	17. Excitability

Some people wanted more BBxRae and so here it is! I think you'll enjoy it. I think I'm enjoying writing things of more mature nature!

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

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Garfield grabbed her hand and lead her under a large oak tree. Birds chirped, the sun shone perfectly against her face, and the snow around them fell so peacefully that it took Garfield a second to breathe all in. He noticed Rachel stretching out and placing her feet in his lap. He grinned.

"You look beautiful."

She instantaneously blushed at his cute comment and felt his hand creep up her thigh.

"What? Haven't guys said that to you?" he asked, running his other hand through her hair. Rachel stopped his hand from climbing any further up her body and intertwined her fingers with his. She didn't even dare to answer his question while Garfield's eyes ran over her face searching desperately for a reply. At her lack of response he came up with a plan. "Screw every guy on the planet that doesn't think you're beautiful 'cause you are. I used to think you were just hot. Now I know I was as wrong as heck."

Garfield ignored the occasionally pains that throbbed in his aching shoulder and noticed Rachel sitting up with her leg still on his lap. "Thank you."

"Yeah babe, anytime." Both adults sat on the bench and he noticed how Rachel hesitated to lay her head on his unscathed shoulder. Garfield knelt down and noticed the orange-y aroma coming from her hair. He breathed it in and watched how Rachel became a bit tense at his movements. He wondered why she was so nervous. Could it be possible that…that guy…wait what was his name again?...Oh yeah…Kellan! Could it be possible that Kellan abused her in the past? Garfield intuitively squeezed her a little closer so that both of they're thighs were finally touching. There was no way she was going to get hurt under his watch. He was going to treat each and every day with her as if he she was meant to get killed. He swore it.

"You like music?" he asked.

Rachel reflected over his inquiry and nodded. "A bit. I barely have time to hear it so I never know what's in and what's not."

Garfield accepted her answer. "One."

She raised an eyebrow. "One?"

"Yep. One."

"What are you talking about?"

"I learned one thing about you: you like music," he grinned at her. "So it's your turn to ask me a question. Go."

Rachel knew he was going to turn this day into a day of games. Both ends of her mouth curved upward meaning that she was ready for this challenge.

"Why is your hair so long?"

Garfield laughed. "'Cause I have an embarrassing birthmark."

Now _that _was interesting. Rachel pulled out a pad of paper and a pen from the inside of her coat. Garfield watched her and smirked. "Oh so you're keeping score?"

"Yes. 1 to 1 so far."

"I think I'm gonna win." He couldn't help but amusingly shake his head at the competition skills women held.

"We'll see about that."

Garfield took a second to come up with a question for her and chuckled evilly.

"Wait, do you have any rules?" he asked, crossing his fingers. Rachel smiled at how excited he looked just by spending time with her.

"Not at all. Let's make it really personal Garfield," she pulled away from his grasp and waited for him to speak. He blushed.

"Do you have a tattoo?"

Rachel shook her head. "Yes," she admitted, with red splashing over her cheeks. Both adults looked equally tomato colored. Garfield laughed.

"Sweet! Where?"

"Sorry Gar, it's my turn!" she shot at him. He groaned.

"Man…"

Rachel began to write her questions onto the sheet of paper when she blurted,

"Maybe someday you'll find out…"

Garfield started to giggle. For a guy that has had many experiences with woman before, he was started to feel like a beginning teenager. And he knew it was less than thirty degrees and heat was gushing through his gray sweatshirt. Rachel could not believe she had just said that, but deep down inside she was positive she _had _to say it. She kind of wanted to. It made her feel…seductive. Garfield looked at her.

"O-o-okay your turn," he cleared his throat for fear of looking immature.

"God I feel like a teenager again," Rachel admitted with a warm smile. Garfield nodded.

"Yeah I know what you mean. I wish I was seventeen again."

She agreed. "Gar, when did you start to fantasize about me?"

"Whoa! You think I fantasize about you! That's crazy," he sputtered, more heat flowing around his body. Rachel ran her hand up his chest. "Let's be honest…" she whispered, a few centimeters away from his face.

"I first started before I talked to you in that café."

It did make her feel good that someone loyal, honest, respectful, and funny thought her body was amazing because honestly, she hated her figure.

"When do want our next kiss to be?" Garfield licked his lips after he asked his question to her. Rachel noticed him making small circles with his strong hands against her back and she stood on the bench on her knees with her chest close to his face. "Right now."

Both sealed the small space between each other and continued to lovingly wrestle each other on that bench. Garfield took a breath as she pulled away to entangle her fingers in his layers of hair. He kept on begging for entrance into her hot mouth as he felt himself stiffen because of the pressure of her palm against the bottom of his pelvis. She let him enter and replied with a kiss just as forceful as before. She could have sworn her heart was audible through the thick layers of clothes they were aching to toss off. Rachel finally dragged her mouth from his and tried to force mental clarity into both of them.

"Let's stop…"

"Why?" his breathing just as ragged as hers.

"Maybe because it's about ten degrees and—"

"Feels like one hundred."

He didn't comply with her wishes until after a last gentle kiss.

"Okay babe, I'll respect that." Garfield grinned at their fun and sat up as she rose off his chest. "Back to the game?" he suggested.

She nodded, trying to regain her breath. Garfield laughed. "It's your turn babe."

It was enough teasing. She couldn't let Garfield think she was accessible for 'action' at any time. Besides, her father could be watching right now. Oh God, her father- the man that was now threatening both of their lives. This meant that neither of them could trust anyone but each other.

"I can't come up with anything," she said, still trying to recover from the fervent kiss.

Garfield laughed. "I guess I win."

"Actually I think I win because—"

"Sorry Rae, you lost. Gotta get used to it," he joked. She playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Lemme ask you another question though."

Rachel was about to stand up before he asked. She looked him the way he stroked her hand. "When do you think a guy should say 'I love you' to his girlfriend?"

Her breath caught. "I think a man should say it when he knows it's true. He shouldn't just throw it out there because the girl might not feel the same way."

Garfield smiled. "Okay cool."

"Why?"

"I just needed your opinion."

Both adults were heading back to the parked Mercedes when Rachel felt a hand on her arm. She whipped around in fear of another attack like the previous encounter with Kellan.

"Rae…I think I really, really, really, really, really, really, really like you."

She laughed. "I think I really, really, really, really, really, really like you too."

"You forgot one 'really'."

"I know," she teased. Garfield licked his lips as he watched her hips saunter towards to car.

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**TT.**

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Yep so there's the other. I really hope you enjoy this one! And happy MLK JR to all!

PM FOR A PREVIEW! You ask and you SHALL recieve! :D


	18. Touch

**Hehe. We're finally moving into the violence one blood drop at a time. Read and review. Please forgive mistakes. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own TT.  
**

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The diminutive man with the bushy mustache threw the folder with perfect precision onto the cherry oak table top with a shake of the head. The other men circled around the table watched Mister Roth oppressively enter the dark room in silenced trepidation. He was wearing a signature Perry Ellis suit which was stylishly complete with silken cuffs to high quality wool all the way to featuring the custom 'Tryan Roth' appeal hidden in the tapered waist. His shoes were classily leather with silver buckles attributing to the straps. Mister Roth captivated his abettors with his clean shaven chin and slicked back hair. He strolled over to the executive chair at the end of the long table and cleared his throat. "Remington, present our audience with the newly discerned information."

The man adduced to as Remington bowed down before his boss and slipped his hand in a white glove to make sure he wouldn't put as much as a powdery blemish on Mister Roth's belongings. He grabbed the folder and with shaking hands he opened it.

"Citizens of Roth Enterprises, I am desponded to alert that we have a monster living among us in this little town of Mount Peak."

The men immediately looked up, eager to hear more.

"Specimen #004768 AKA Garfield Mark Logan is infected with the Sakutia virus. It is quite active judging from the hair strand we attained last week at 6:12 PM. He is currently parading around with our noble sovereign, Tryan Roth's daughter, Rachel. We have sent one of our own connoisseurs, Kellan Smith Clemons to capture Mister Logan and so--"

"Wait just a damn minute!" a gruff voice spoke from the other end of the table. Remington looked straight ahead.

"How have you guys not detained this freak? Imagine all the people he's contaminated by now!"

Remington opened his mouth. "Our scientists just recently rediscovered the virus and found out that it has only been active for a few months so--"

"What are the plans once he's captured?" asked another man.

Overwhelmed by the attack of inquiries, Remington turned a light shade of red and began to nervously cough. He shot an edgy glance at his boss and his hopes instantly deflated once he saw that Tryan Roth was smiling. He wasn't going to help him on this one.

"Let's inject him with paralytic acid!"

Other men began to cheer in agreement.

"Why the hell would we do that?" one male countered. "Imagine the money we'd formulate from this boy! Scientists all over the world will plead for his genetic makeup."

Remington tried to block out all the arguing from his mind and unbuttoned the top three hooks from his pinstriped shirt. "Our analysts have concluded that we could take the virus and reproduce it into animals such as rats to--"

"Ha!" a low voice spat. "Rats? What are we trying to do here? Cure cancer?" Remington's shoulders hunched at all the disparity and he almost gave up.

"He's right! Look at this world. It's filled with polluted 'humans' and idiotic government bastards. How are we going to ethnically clean up if we--"

"No, who cares about what happens next? My question is for you, Tryan Roth!" a young, brown haired man stood up and pointed a long, scrawny finger at him. Tryan laid back in his chair and merely laughed at the person who dared challenge him. He'd been quiet this entire time and once the arguing men heard his name called by an apprentice, they instantly shut their mouths in fear of whose life would be taken next.

"Go on, Wilson." Tryan smiled.

"Well Mister Roth I think that this is completely bogus. You're just sitting there with a stupid grin and letting us fight over what's going to be done! Why don't you pipe up? Or are you scared?"

They could have heard a pin drop. An eerie laugh escaped his lips as Tryan Roth stood up.

"Wilson has a point."

Wilson smiled in arrogance.

"But you see Wilson...I let my men argue with each other because they don't have the mental capacity to argue with me. But I see that you deem it important to counter me and for that... I don't applaud you."

The men around the table felt their hearts start to hammer. Wilson's smile faded as Tryan Roth pulled out a small gun. In the blink of an eye, the man lunged over the table, knocking over the glasses of bourbon. The men gasped and flew the walls of the room to avoid any scathing on their expensive suits. They heard a sharp crack and with one eye opened, Remington saw Tryan dusting off his bare hands. Wilson's eyes were struck with a shocked look and his head was contorted off his neck. Blood was pooling up on the floor beneath them. Wilson was officially dead.

"Darn. I just had the carpet cleaned," Tryan said.

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**TT.**

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Rachel noticed the gas tank amount lowering as she veered into a station for a quick refuel. That is, until she saw the long queues of cars waiting to take advantage of the low gas prices.

"My turn." Garfield was currently chewing on salty fries and swishing Pepsi in his mouth that she had bought him when he complained of hunger.

Rachel turned to look at him. He looked tired and bored. His jeans were stained with grease, his sweatshirt was torn, and his hair was in a bigger muddle than usual. Dismayed at the thought that they hadn't brought anything other than the clothes on their backs on this road trip, she quickly thought of heading toward the nearest mall. She was sure he'd be happy with that. Besides, she didn't want to lose any 'beautifulness' around him.

"Where were you born?"

She sighed. It wasn't that she didn't like the game they started to frequently play...it was that she usually didn't give much away from herself.

"In Brazil."

He dug his hands into his jacket with joy. "Sweet! Are you Brazilian? When I was like, thirteen, I had a poster of this hot Brazilian model on my wall. She was _full_!"

Rachel's ends of her mouth curved up into a small smile. He blushed.

"You probably didn't need to know that..."

"My mother is Brazilian and my father is Polish."

"Coolness." Garfield slouched in the passenger seat and crumpled the kids meal in his hands, making sure crumbs would pop up in her fancy car. "Your turn."

"Why did you break up with your last girlfriend?"

His smile faded into a semi-straight line. "She wasn't who I thought she was."

Garfield's words hit Rachel with excruciating guilt. He thought she was some kind of goddess with feelings-not visual, but obvious-feelings for him. When was Rachel going to tell him of her double life?

"She's pregnant now and married to some gay guy," his continuation cracked the intuitive silence.

"She married to a gay man?" Rachel inquired in confusion.

Garfield shook his head. "His name is like Sergei or Sergio or Harold or something," he said, humor hidden in his voice. That name sounded familiar to her.

"Do you still think about her?"

Garfield looked up at her with his normal emerald eyes.

"No way. She reminds me of my old self. My turn!"

She took a second to ponder his words until he asked his next question.

"What's your favorite dessert?"

"Chocolate. What's your biggest fear?"

"Wait, chocolate what?" he said.

"Chocolate everything," she blurted.

He grinned. "Hopefully you'd think of licking chocolate off me one day. My birthday's coming up..."

Rachel shook her head. "That's disgusting."

He laughed. "It's awesome."

"So _anyway_, what is your biggest fear?"

"My worst fear has got to be...being betrayed."

How obvious. Her guilt began to build up.

"What's your favorite flower?"

"What makes you think I have one?"

"'Cause every typical girl has one."

"Well I'm not your typical girl."

He laughed. "I know. I know 'cause you're not going to say roses like every other girl. I mean, they're _so _overdone. You look like a white calla lily type girl."

She bit her lip. "No. I like hydrangeas."

Garfield grinned. "I knew it!"

She gave him a perplexed look.

"Okay, no I didn't know it but at least I knew that you had a favorite flower!"

Rachel laughed. "Why do you call yourself a vegetarian if you willingly eat meat?"

Garfield spoke up. "I get cravings."

She rolled her eyes at his half-assed response and attempted to open the car door, for it was her turn to fill up the gas tank. "What are you good at?"

"Everything you're good at," she responded with a quick glare.

"So you're good at kissing?"

"Garfield, I said everything you're good at."

He shook his head in mock disbelief. "I can't believe you're implying that."

She threw her head back. "I can't believe you thought you were good at kissing."

"Judging from the sounds you made earlier today I think I'm pretty awesome at it."

"What if I was faking those sounds to boost your ego?"

"I doubt it. You always say my ego needs to be deflated."

Rachel smiled. He actually paid mind to her teasing insults.

"Since you think I suck at it, maybe you wouldn't mind helping me out. I'm sure you'd enjoy the practice..." he licked his lips.

"I'm sure I would too."

He reached for her but his hand crashed into the door when she slid out of the car to fill up on gas. His heart fluttered at her teasing.

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**I hope you enjoyed that because I did. Review and don't forget to PM for a preview of the next chapter! :D**


	19. Feeling

Happy V-Day! _In this installment...we'll learn about Tara's baby as Rachel and Garfield get closer...way closer. **Rachel and Garfield have checked into a fancy hotel. They have separate suite rooms and it is evening time.**  
_

**Disclaimer: I don't own TT.**

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Tara could handle the fact that her baby was born with undeveloped lungs. She could handle the fact that it had to be delivered to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. She could even handle the fact that Sergei wasn't there to see his daughter! What she couldn't handle was....that little Madeline Leigh was born with green eyes.

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Garfield thumped his fists against the door and waited for her to approach him. The doorknob unlatched and he heard a click.

"Good evening," she greeted. Rachel was wearing a black t-shirt and hip hugging blue that made his eyes hover over her flaunting figure. When she opened the door an airy aroma of soap streamed through her hotel suite that made her suppose he had taken a shower. Her thoughts were confirmed when she noticed water drip down his temple to his navy shirt that she had bought him when they went shopping earlier in the day. Garfield slid inside and marveled at her not-so-quaint room.

"I have to tell you something," he hesitated. Garfield plopped himself on the futon that decorated the large flat screen and watched her nervous face. He scratched his neck and cleared his throat. "I found a gun in your car."

Rachel withheld a large breath. Oh God, here it was. Rachel knew the secrecy wouldn't last long.

"Well I--"

"Wait. I found an envelope filled with, like, a billion dollars too," Garfield murmured, his eyes narrowing at her. Rachel felt the room heating up.

"I know that--"

"I also hacked your Blackberry, Rae. I saw threatening text messages on there from some guys."

A long silence pierced the ineptness of the moment.

"Garfield...I think you should know that--"

He stood up and raised his hands up. "I understand what's going on here, Rae."

Confusion graced her face. "You do?"

"Totally. And I want you to understand that I still think you're amazing even though after all you've been through. I really admire you, Rae," Garfield smiled. He walked over to her and gently stroked her hand.

"Um, thank you?"

She watched his smile grow wider and shivered at the kisses he planted along her neck.

"You don't have to worry about your ex boyfriends hurting you, okay? I know you keep the gun in there for protection, but trust me babe...you don't need it. If any guy tries to hurt you then I kick his ass. I swear."

Rachel's hands were now on his shoulders. How embarrassed she felt at the thoughts she harbored of him! She thought he knew about her secret life! Garfield sighed.

"And you know what else?"

She shook her head.

"I won't ever betray you," he continued.

Rachel kept on staring at him.

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**TT.**

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The fact that David's sister had decided to not follow up with their father crushed him. He remembered sitting in his bedroom when he was eight and she was already a teen laughing at his dreams. He wanted to become a biomedical scientist and Rachel had rolled her eyes saying, "Dad probably won't let you. He'll make you turn monkeys into humans."

She was joking when she said this, but David couldn't help but wince at her accuracy.

"If you hurt Rachel, I'll kill you."

David tore his hand away from scratching his chin and looked over at the male in the passenger seat. David grabbed a gun out from under his seat and cocked it. Kellan's eyes widened.

"You haven't been working with the corporation for a while, Kellan. And one of things you should know...?"

Kellan shrank against the car window.

"Is that you should never threaten a Roth."

A crowd of people accompanying the Six O' Clock News crew stopped to ask why the homicide had occurred in broad daylight.

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**TT.**

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Garfield showed up at Rachel's door the next morning with a smile. He had apparently gained access to her room card and snuck in while she was sleeping. Garfield crept over the fancy carpet and into her bathroom to prepare her Valentine's Day gift. But trouble struck when she got up to relieve herself. The bathroom was dark when Garfield heard the door creak open. He dashed into her bathtub when the light flickered on but it didn't help at all. Rachel's eyes wavered toward the end of the room and sighed.

"David?"

Garfield peered out of the bath curtain.

"Who's David?"

Rachel flinched onto the door. "Oh my God, what are you doing?"

"Who's David?" Garfield repeated, stepping out of the bathtub. She shook her head.

"My brother--forget it. What are you doing?"

He grinned. "I was getting your Valentine's Day present ready!"

She rolled her eyes. "You have to do that in my bathroom?"

"Yep!"

Garfield hopped forward and grabbed her waist. "Guess what we're doing today?"

She noticed his deep speaking made her judgment weaker as she melted into him.

"What?" she quivered.

"This." Garfield whipped his arm around her waist with force to pull her closer to him--as always--and smiled when she reciprocated the kiss he planted on her cheek. Clearly flustered, she managed to slip away from his grasp and glare at him.

"It's way too early for _that_."

Garfield laughed when she placed her hands on his chest to push him out of the bathroom. "It's never too early for _that_. You know it's scientifically proven that it's good for you."

She rolled her eyes and shut the door. Garfield tore his shirt off and slunk into her bed. He grinned at her with his hands behind his head when she rose out of the bathroom.

"Are you really going to annoy me this early in the morning?" she scowled.

"I think you like it."

"I sure as hell hate it."

"Come on Rae! I won't do anything. We can just chill here and listen to each other breathe."

Even though he said it in a jokingly manner, she noticed his ache for her to climb into the bed with him. And she had to admit to his alluring appeal...she was tempted easily.

"No."

He groaned. "Please?"

Rachel smiled. "Have you ever begged a girl to get into bed with you?"

He blushed. "No."

"I'm the first headstrong female you've ever dated?"

"Yes."

Rachel sat on the edge of the bed. "Good."

Garfield sat up and stared into her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. He reached over and flipped the covers off. In her attempt to get off the bed, she was grabbed by an arm and pulled toward him. She sighed in annoyance.

"You look pretty without makeup."

Rachel laid her head on his muscular arm and stared up at the dark ceiling. Time passed on and occasionally Garfield would kiss her temple or stroke her hip. Suddenly his breathing hitched when she trailed her hand down to the end of his stomach and back to his chin.

"You're a tease."

She laughed. "You're easy." They could barely ever keep their hands off each other lately. Rachel was now eager for his touch and she liked the way he slyly opened her up. Garfield shook his head and waited for her finger to hike its way up and down his chest. He repaid her with another kiss. Garfield couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. He had never touched Rachel in any other way. He had never done anything below her waist or grabbed anything above her belly button. Garfield shivered just thinking about it. He wanted to touch her so bad...but didn't want to think of the consequences. She made his emotions go awry when she blew against his chest. Heat enveloped his body.

"Let me ask you something," she said in a quiet voice. Garfield looked into her eyes.

"Ask me anything."

"Are you scared of touching me?"

His eyes widened. It was as if she had read his mind.

"N-No," he croaked. "I do it all the time," Garfield decided to turn the trepidation into a joking matter. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Are you scared of going further?"

He gulped. "How come you're not?"

It was a good question. Garfield never thought Rachel would have climbed in with him, much less caress him in the darkness. Rachel licked her lips.

"Because you're not the perverted guy I met in the coffee shop anymore."

Garfield pondered on her words and decided on a reply.

"You seem pretty confident in what you're doing here. I thought you were Ms. Don't Bitch With Me."

She smiled at his humor. "I am. I just get tired of the façade when I'm with you. I didn't know Mr. Arrogant could be so tender," she spoke with her lips against his.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, baby," he blurted. Rachel pulled the covers over themselves and focused in on his nervous breathing. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

Rachel bit her lip and stared into his green eyes. "There must be something different about you."

His eyes dashed across the room. "N-No. I, uh, am pretty human," he stuttered. Rachel withheld a sigh. There _had _to be something she could do to get him to admit his unnatural beast form. She breathed in and prayed to God that she wouldn't make a fool out of herself.

"Don't lie to me," she said with a harsher tone that intended. Garfield blinked.

"I-I'm not."

Rachel felt his hand tighten on her back and decided not to make him any more uncomfortable with giving away any personal information. She slunk into him a little more and saw him smiling. "What's so funny?"

"I like how you're more open to me now. It's awesome."

Rachel closed her eyes and noticed his hand rubbing her shoulder.

"It's awesome?"

"Yeah. I barely ever had these intimate moments before with anyone else. It was usually 'get to it' kind of stuff. I really appreciate this, Rae. You have no idea," he laughed.

Rachel nodded. "I appreciate this too."

Garfield kissed her neck in admiration of her honesty and sincerity. "Tired?"

She laughed. "Immensely."

He let her curl up in his arms and watched her unique blue-purple eyes droop.

"Alrighty. I'll let you sleep for a few more hours. But when it's nine o' clock, we're showering so I can take you out on a Valentine's date."

"A date?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty romantic," he bragged. "I got you hydrangeas."

Touched by his memory of her favorite flowers, she smiled. "That's sweet."

Garfield nodded and decided to tease with her mind a little bit. She'd try to sleep when he played with the frill of her shorts. She'd stifle a yawn when his hands dared to roam farther than he'd ever tread before. Suddenly when Garfield's hands got to her waist, Rachel got him back by hooking the tip of her finger into the top hem of his boxers. He froze.

"I like Calvin Klein," she said, tracing the designer's name on his underwear. Garfield's excitement was now obvious and his breaths quickened. It was as if this was the first time he'd ever been this intimate before. And he _loved _how she made him feel that way. He waited for her to continue but was let down when she turned over and slipped to the other side of the bed. He sighed.

"That was a pre-Valentine's Day gift," she murmured. He laughed when she smiled at him with tired, but loving eyes.

"God, I'm only dreaming of what the actual gift will be!" he said with mock sarcasm.

Rachel was already snoring.

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**TT.**

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Victor stared at the baby in her mother's arms when a thought flushed over him.

If Tara had brown eyes and so did Sergei...how did the baby come out with green eyes?

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**TT.**

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** I really liked this one and my hopes are that you did too! Please review and remember to ask for a preview of the next chapter! :D  
**


	20. Time

Disclaimer: **Don't own TT.**

* * *

Garfield tried his best to blink the harsh sun's bright rays out of his eyes. He scratched his bare chest and rolled over to accidentally slam his hand on the maple cherry nightstand. Then he silently laughed at his throbbing hand because there was _no _alarm clock to hit. He was in an impressive hotel with gorgeous silken sheets next to his gorgeous girlfriend.

Wait.

Where was his gorgeous girlfriend? Garfield extended an arm only to mess up the perfectly made side of the bed.

"Rae?"

He looked around and was fully convinced she wasn't anywhere inside the entire building when his eyes flickered toward a glossy sheet of paper.

_Garfield, sorry I couldn't be here to spend Valentine's Day morning with you. Something came up. I'll make up for it if you meet me at noon at the restaurant in front of the hotel._

_-Rachel_

Garfield took in the lavender scent radiating from the note and ran his eyes over her looped y's and l's. He sighed and read the TV's LCD screen. 8 AM.

* * *

There wasn't much for him to do here in this unknown city. He didn't recognize anybody or any stores; he even forgot the name of the hotel they were staying in! All he saw were beads of snow and fresh faces bustling around with shopping bags. Garfield wrapped the black scarf around his neck and plunked his gloved hands into the pocket of his jeans and strolled into a bookstore. Now normally, Garfield would never have any interest in cracking open nothing with pages...unless it was a car magazine with scantily clad women on the cover. But something about this abandoned looking and hidden bookstore compelled him to walk in. Garfield took notice of the elderly smell and the lack of librarians walking around 'shushing' teenagers. But what was strange was the absence of teenagers scrambling around to finish book reports. There was barely anyone in here! Scuffed up rocking chairs sat in a corner and cobwebs decorated a stand with a sign that displayed 'Bookmarks are now 50% off!'. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from the front of the store.

"Davey! We got a visitor!"

Garfield raised an eyebrow to peer over the counter and saw an elderly woman on the floor, stacking up a pile of books.

"W-Would you like some help?" Garfield instinctively offered. The woman smiled.

"No thank you."

Garfield nodded and started to turn away when he a scrawny man appeared from a backdoor. He looked extremely young, about 19 or 20 with black hair and an excessive amount of tattoos. He grinned at Garfield and struck his hand out in front of him. Garfield shook it.

"How's it going?"

"I'm Gar. It's pretty sweet actually. Nice...bookstore you got here," Garfield peered at the ceiling decorated with authentic cobwebs. "Thanks."

Garfield wandered over to a stand of lackluster paperback romances with muscular 1600s men on the cover.

"What is this place?" he felt obligated to ask. The young man known as Davey cocked an eyebrow towards Garfield and chuckled.

"It's called Force Books. My dad built it while back but with all the snowstorms, this place got destroyed. I took it up, though. I took it up with that homeless lady you see picking up those pens," Davey pointed at the elderly woman.

"Davey!" she cackled. Garfield playfully shook his head at his insolence and pulled his hands of out his pockets. For the first time he actually noticed a vanilla candle on a shelf trying desperately to cover up the burnt woody scent.

"This place mainly appealed to the oddballs around this old town."

"What do you mean?" Garfield wondered.

"The bookstore is chockfull of science fiction, demonic spirity things, and...mythical...mutant...creatures," Davey said slowly, peering up at Garfield with a subtle look. Garfield nodded.

"You believe in that stuff?"

Davey cleared his throat. "Not necessarily. But you know how interesting it can be. My little cousin loves Harry Potter," he laughed.

Garfield smiled.

"Besides, there had to be a place here that contained information about the Deathstrokes."

Garfield looked up from a dusty hardcover with a swastika on the cover.

"Huh?"

"The Deathstrokes. Part of this evil corporation that tried to kill a bunch of people to re-colonize their area for mutant humans." Davey clarified his words with a swish of the hands. Garfield grimaced.

"I know about those guys. Dirty bastards."

Davey concealed a growing smile on his face. "Really, what have you heard?"

Garfield shook his head. "It's nothing I've heard. It's shit that they did to ruin my family. _That's_ what gets me." He scratched his small beard and headed toward the door.

Davey rushed in front of him. "What's wrong?"

Garfield sighed. "It sounds weird but sometimes I feel like their after me."

Davey tried his best to conceal his demonic smile. "Really?"

"Yeah, like, ever since I started going out with this one girl I felt like her dad wanted to kill me. And not _Monsters In Law _kill me. I'm talking

I'll rip your throat out if I ever see you touching her....do you have a sister named Rachel?"

Davey shook his head. "Nope. Only child. Why?"

"I thought I've seen you before."

"Deja vu!"

Garfield laughed. "Yeah, something like that."

* * *

The restaurant was nothing fancy until he saw something light up the entire place in the corner of his eye. It was Rachel. She was wearing a light green trenchcoat and made up face. He grinned and walked over to her.

"Hey baby."

She blushed while his arms wrapped around her waist and their bodies pressed against each other for a brief moment. "Please tell me that you got dressed up for me and me only."

Rachel smiled. "Yeah. I did. How was your day?"

"Morning was awful 'cause you weren't there," he drawled. She grabbed his hand only to intertwine their fingers. "You're so cute."

He laughed as pink tinted his ears. "I think I'm cuter than before since you grab at me more."

She nodded. "Or it could be that my affections for you are captivating my physical sense."

He shrugged. "It could be that too."

They walked out of the restaurant hand in hand until they came to a park bench.

"How'd you sleep last night?" he wondered, staring out into the snow covered grass. She reflected on the previous night where both had slept soundly in each others arms for the first time. She recalled his shudders as she stroked his arms and kissed him gently on the face. The actions hadn't crossed any dangerous boundaries, but still kept their behavior cautious in case of any unwanted arousal.

"Better than I ever have before."

Garfield smiled shyly at his black shoes and nodded at her reply. "Me too."

A small silence invaded the space between them which prompted the unusually meek Garfield to ask a question. "Are we doing it tonight?"

Rachel gave dropped her hand from his grasp and planted herself on the bench. "Only if you help me something."

"Anything you need, babe." he knelt forward and gently kissed her mouth and rubbed her shoulder. It was as if he couldn't breathe without her touch. Everything she said was received with his rough hand sliding its way affectionately down her thigh or with a kiss on her blushing cheek.

"...My brother is in town doing some ethnic work on humans and their ability change emotions...the future...and even themselves," Rachel took a look at his nervous face. So far he seemed as if this idea she was expressing was like robbing a bank in pure daylight! She breathed in. "And I'd like you to contribute some of your extremely gorgeous body to the experiment."

Of course, this entire idea she blurted out was a complete lie. In truth she just wanted him drugged and on a flat table to invade his body as she pleased. Did it sound utterly and morally wrong? Sure! But this morning she made a discovery that in order to make a relationship work there had to be pure honesty and trustworthiness-not a huge lie about how his body was anatomically composed.

"I have to donate a kidney?" he asked, completely bewildered.

She blinked. "No. I just need some DNA samples and such."

"Like sperm?" he wondered with no absence of incredulity. Rachel immediately shook her head.

"No, just hair and take part in a CAT scan."

Garfield shrugged. "Alright. There won't be any liver transplants or anything, right?" he joked.

"Of course not. Thank you so much," she breathed.

"Anything for you. Anything."

His endearing words gave her a sense of approval. With her father, he'd give her every material thing in the world. But he never gave Rachel what she really desired nor what she really needed. Love.

"I'm starving!" Garfield piped up, interrupting her thoughts.

It was funny how everything that stressed Rachel was perceived as a facile, petty no-big-deal to Garfield. It was good to have someone laid back by her side to balance her life out. But throughout all the light kisses, blushing touches, and hidden smiles her mind still nipped at her thoughts. How she hid such a frightening secret from him was a huge wonder to her, but at least she planned to tell him about her double life sooner enough. Rachel relaxed at the thought of Garfield not suspecting anything...until now.

"Rae, this might sound weird but I think I saw your brother today."

Her throat closed.

"I went into this old bookstore and I swear to God, he looked exactly like this one guy I saw on the news. The guy I saw on TV last night was seen killing your ex boyfriend, Kellog."

"Kellan?" she whispered.

"Yeah I guess. But they haven't caught him yet and I heard your dad's name on the news too." He looked into her eyes.

"I know you're a different girl, Rae. You're really special. You're beautiful, smart, and pretty. But if you want to make this work as much as I do...then I think we should start being honest. And I have a couple of things to tell you."

Rachel stared straight into the white, snowy abyss. "Okay."

* * *

Next chapter, the truth about Garfield's animalistic abilities are revealed to Rachel....and not in the way you'd think. Anyone wanna read over the next chapter and tell me their thoughts before I get another case of writer's block? I'm getting back in the game! I have overcome writer's block once again! **How do you like them apples?**

Sorry 'bout the mistakes. :/

**REVIEW!**


	21. Rediscover

**Favorite chapter I've written of this story EVER. Come on, whaddya think?**

**Disclaimer: don't own TT.  
**

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"So do you wanna hold off on that little 'honesty secret thing' until tomorrow?"

Due to the heavy snowstorm occurring outstide, the hotel hallway's lights were dimming and flickering which only added to the sultry mood in front of room 6104. Rachel was currently pushed against the door wall and heavily breathing on Garfield's shoulder. Her mind was in a muddle as she tried to fiddle with the room key and door slot. And, it didn't help her clear out her thoughts when Garfield stroked her hair.

"It'd probably be a smart idea if we talked about it tomorrow," she breathed. What the hell was she saying? Rachel had to get it out now before Tryan or David tracked them down! What if- what if- God, her thoughts began to evaporate when he planted kisses down her neck. _Damn Garfield, _she thought, furiously biting her lip. He helped her inside the room and began to strip his coat off.

"It's kinda cold in here."

"No shit." Rachel helped the male who was struggling with a snagged sweater take it off.

He shook his head and ran a rough hand through hand through his dark blond hair.

"I wanted to take you out for the date I promised you last night. The hydrangeas are in my suite."

Rachel set her purse on the nightstand and scrolled through her Blackberry's 27 unread messages.

"Uh-huh. Well didn't you like the dinner I took you out to?" her attention was now on the toothpaste as she struggled to squeeze the last bits onto her electric brush. Garfield walked over and applied some simple pressure to the tube with just his thumb and index finger and in an instant, Rachel was brushing minty clean.

"Oh well, yeah! But as the dude in this relationship…I wanna treat you to stuff that a dude's supposed to do to his lady."

She almost choked on her brush. Garfield leaned back and snatched a towel to give to her.

"Like what kind of stuff?"

Garfield knelt over the trash can to spit his wintergreen gum out and grinned at her.

"Like this kind of stuff."

Before Rachel knew it, her mouth was covered with his and they were soon sharing Colgate breath. She backed away in surprise until her eyes floated over his lips. He was smiling innocently. Rachel ran a thumb over his mouth and licked her finger only to wipe off toothpaste sitting on his cheek. He burst out laughing.

"What the hell? Are you my grandma now or something?"

Rachel rolled her eyes at his lack of caring of her over protectiveness and dismissed his childish behavior as embarrassment.

"I care about your appearance."

He shook his head. "Trust me, I do too."

Rachel shoved him out of the bathroom and began to change into her nightclothes.

"Getting ready for bed, baby?" he knocked on the bathroom door and inhaled the fresh smell of baby powder and Burberry cologne flowing out of the door crack.

"Mmm-hmm."

Garfield ran his hand over the wall. "Alright, guess I should too. I'm gonna wear something hot for bed baby."

She blushed. "Good for you. If I get any _lascivious_ comments on my nightgown, I'll kill you."

"Okay, I don't know what lask-vy-shus means but uh, I'll be a respectful gentleman if that's what you want."

She smiled.

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**TT.**

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Garfield slid a socked foot over the plush carpet and stifled a yawn.

"Did you have a good Valentine's Day?" he wondered, setting his clothes for the next morning on a burgundy wooden table. Rachel peered up at him from the real estate magazine she was skimming and nodded. "It bypassed the ones I've experienced in previous years."

He smirked with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "It sounds like you're only _satisfied. _I wanted you to be trembling now from a mind-blowing day."

Rachel blushed down at her magazine. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

Garfield laughed. This was the first time he had ever been asked such a question. His ears tinted pink at her rare ambivalent behavior. "Is it working?"

Rachel's eyes flickered toward the LCD alarm clock and all of the sudden; it was as if all research on his mutant ways and risks of being murdered by her own family was thrown out the window.

"Yes," she bit her lip excitedly for the third time that day and impulsively pounced on his chest as soon as he crawled into the bed. He swallowed back a nervous laugh and feverishly kissed her collarbone as she groaned against him. And just then; the mountainous amount of clothing they sported became a barrier between their heated love. Their legs became entangled with the bed sheets and each other but it wasn't long until Garfield hitched her legs around his waist to speed up this process. He flipped her forward and watched her alert eyes flutter closed to plant a kiss where her jaw met her neck. Rachel's patience began to thin because of his teasing. He could just never kiss her on the damn mouth, could he? Her ice cold skin met his warm face as they vigorously explored all their pent-up sexual tension in the dim hotel room.

"Garfield…."she drawled without any warning. Her moan was an obvious indication that she was enjoying this. It also was a sign that she wasn't new to these intimate acts. It didn't bother him that she used to be very emotionally attached to her previous boyfriends. He could somehow sense that she was very committed in only feelings that way with Garfield, and Garfield only. She pulled herself down over him and grinded himself deeper into her until the tent in his athletic shorts became ridiculously painful. She ran her delicate hands up and down his chest and roamed his sweaty locks of blond hair. Her breathing hitched as she was given the best hickey of her life. Garfield continued to suck on her daringly innocent skin when he suddenly felt a searing pain course through his brain. His head began to throb and his pupils were dilating along with flickering of different colors. Garfield's heart flopped.

_Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. This is seriously happening NOW? _

Rachel couldn't tell anything was wrong until her breathing slowed because Garfield was somehow getting…heavier? Then her confusion grew. His teeth began to lengthen and she felt a sharp tooth penetrate her skin. Okay…so he was being a little feisty. Nothing that can't be fixed with pulling his hair to calm him down. This was Garfield, after all. He'd obey her every word and every plea. A jabbing pain wasn't enough for her to ruin the moment. They hadn't even gotten all of their clothes off yet! Rachel trembled at his touch under her gown and felt the room drop thirty degrees when she saw Garfield's eyes-almost demonic-glare at her. She screamed.

Garfield felt himself collide with the wall as she stupidly held up a fluffy pillow to shield herself from whatever dangers there may be. His vision doubled and he flipped over the bed and onto the ground so she couldn't see him in full beast form. Rachel's heart began to pound like a jackhammer. Garfield regained his sight only to almost hyperventilate.

"Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. You're bleeding!"

Rachel touched her wet neck in horror and blinked back the stinging tears. She attempted to stand up and shiver at the same time, trying to wrap her head around what just happened.

"G-G- what the-"

He faced her and held his hands up as to show defeat. "I know, I know! I should've told you and I'm a fucking asshole for not being honest when you totally wanted to be-"

"What the hell-"

"I'll explain if you calm down and-"

"Calm DOWN? Garfield we were in the middle of amazing sex and you just had to fuck it up with-wait. It wasn't just sex you screwed up. It was trust I had in you! Goddamnit, I kept dropping hints as to inquire what happened to you back in Africa and but you were too-"

His chest stabbed at him while he hopelessly stared at her crying face.

"I'm sorry."

A deep silence filled the room. It was right then when she realized that she was being selfish. If she treated Garfield like shit right now, how would he react when she told him about her secret life?

"Please leave."

He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by her sending him out of the hotel room. So he had scared the hell out of her, lied to her, and wanted to sleep with her because he was scared he wouldn't 'get some' if he told her about his mutations beforehand. Oh yeah.

Best fucking Valentine's Day-Night EVER.

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_It was raw, mature, and kinda crazy. Maybe the review you drop could be like that too? Raw, real, edgy. Mature, no "omg i love it!", and crazy- tell me the worst parts and flame me if you want! Flaming isn't immature at all....._

_So thanks for reading! And remember to get a preview of the next chapter! :)  
_

Sorry about the mistakes.


	22. Killer

**Disclaimer: don't own TT.**

** I'm not gonna lie. This is one of my favorite chapters. I bet you'll enjoy it!  
**

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Garfield rubbed his eyes and didn't dare to open them. He didn't know why he continued to lay in the bed with his eyes shut. Maybe it was for fear of facing Rachel. After all, he'd have to see her sooner or later. What would she say? Would she stare at him in disgust? Garfield's thoughts began to swirl around in his mind so much that he would have rather stared straight into the sun's sinewy rays and get his eyes burnt than look at her. He sat up and growled at himself. He couldn't imagine how she must be feeling right now. Garfield mused over the night before. Rachel was clearly horrified at what had happened. He was positive she saw him in 'beast form', fangs and all. He sighed. _Damn. _Garfield ignored the deep pang in his chest and stood up to take the coldest shower he had taken in a long time.

"Kellan's gone."

The voice on the other end wasn't joking at all. There was no hint of playfulness anywhere in that tone.

"E-excuse me?" she accidentally stuttered.

"He's dead. I'm on the run. And I'm probably gonna get killed sooner or later."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she snarled at David.

"I killed him, damn it!"

Rachel couldn't speak. "You killed him? He was the only one that tried to help me and you killed him?"

David smiled. "Oh yes. Daddy told me to."

Rachel knew Garfield had heard about a homicide on the news. But she didn't expect it to be real? God, how could she be so stupid?

"It's over Rachel. Tell Garfield about what the corporation needs and nobody gets hurt."

"David, this isn't a game! This is real life. How do you feel? You just killed a man that didn't do anything to you!"

David laughed. "I've never killed anyone before but, I gotta say it felt awesome. By the way....this phone will self destruct in five seconds."

Rachel cringed and scrambled to toss the cell phone out of the hotel windows. The parts instantaneously blew up with black shrivels and debris gallivanting into thin air.

David was now a cold-blooded killer. He'd do anything to comply with his father. Disgusting.

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**TT.**

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Garfield heard heavy, rapid knocks on his door and wrapped the towel around his waist to answer the person in apparent need. The knocks became faster. Rachel was on the other side dressed in a black suit, ignoring the guns prodding her side. She noticed Garfield wasn't in any hurry to answer the door and she back away a few feet only to run and jump-kick the door down.

"Hold on!" he yelled while trying to dry his hair. Before he got a chance to touch the doorknob, the hotel room door collapsed on the ground next to him. Garfield walked back and clung the towel closer to him.

"Um..."

Rachel shook her head. "I need you to get dressed."

Garfield gaped at her in frustration. "What's going on?"

She rummaged around his room and flung herself under her bed only to pull out a small grenade-like weapon. Rachel leapt onto his bed and hurled it out of the closed window. The glass exploded with a hammering shriek and Garfield stared at messy room in horror.

"What was that?" he wondered in aghast voice. She blinked.

"A lachrymator. It can cause pain in the eyes that may lead to blindness. It starts out by irritating the mucous membranes in your nose, lungs, eyes, and mouth. It's kind of like...mace."

Garfield watched Rachel pull her black sleeve up to reveal a small pistol.

His eyes widened. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I should've told you about me. I didn't mean to scare you-"

Rachel frowned at him. "Shut up."

She raised the gun to his back and pushed him into the bathroom. "Stay here. Don't breathe. Don't talk."

The towel around his waist was beginning to slip off as he sat on the bathroom counter waiting for her to return. He twisted his fingers on the hem of the towel and heard Rachel perusing through the drawers full of clothes and suddenly the bathroom door slammed open. She threw a large plastic bag into his arms and urged him to get dressed.

"Holy hell." Garfield pulled out a Brooks Brothers suit.

"Hurry up."

"How much was this?"

"Get dressed."

"Rae, what is going on?"

"If you must know, the tie was $168, the three button jacket was $428, and I forget about the pants."

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**TT.**

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Rachel dashed out of the bathroom and cocked the gun in her hands. She heard men heading up the stairs and a loud siren began to ring. _"Everybody please remain in your hotel rooms; we are under an attack."_

She lifted up her pant leg to unstrap a ricin pellet. Before being able to stand up, she was looking straight up at men in masks.

"Are you Rachel Roth?" one sniper asked.

She whipped her hair into a pony tail and raised the gun to his chin. The other men trembled.

"Ma'am, please put the pistol away. Threatening an officer is-"

"Who wants to know?"

A man behind her tapped her shoulder and stuck his hand deep into his vest.

"Put your hands up immediately!" she said calmly. The guys around her laughed and set their weapons down. "Hold on there, sweetheart. We're not here to hurt anyone except this guy-"

The man pulled out a picture of Garfield.

"Tryan Roth has informed us that this specimen is a hazard to you and people around him and we're going to need you to tell us where he's located."

Rachel snatched the picture out of his hand and fixed her eyes on it. The photo was black and white, showing Garfield walking out of a gas station with a bag of chips in his hand. Rachel blinked. In the far left of the picture, she was filling up the tank of the car.

"Oh God...."she whispered.

"Now little lady, could you tell us where he is? We won't hurt you."

She grimaced at the men around her. Little lady? She hated how she was coddled by her father's minions.

"I don't know who this is."

One man to the right of the first sniper that talked to her rolled his eyes.

"Bullshit."

Rachel watched him place a hand on her shoulder and that's when she instinctively pinned him against the wall with a gun pushing into his neck.

"Don't touch me."

He squeezed his eyes shut and pettily aimed to reach for the base of the gun she was currently holding.

"You know what chloropicrin is?"

The men jumped back.

"It's a highly toxic chemical that is waiting to spurt out of this gun. Now, I can either do one of two things..." Rachel suggested.

The four other officers pulled their masks back of their faces and reached to speak into their wrists. "We have a mentally unstable-"

Rachel snarled and a bullet flung into the guy's side and his 'walkie talkie' plummeted onto the carpet.

"Oh God..." he toppled onto the floor.

"I can pull the trigger and the liquid will shoot onto your skin and burn like hell. It'll deteriorate the top layer of skin and cause your lungs to paralyze."

"You're lying!" one guy screamed while trying to help his fallen mate.

"Don't move!" Rachel moved the gun away from penetrating the man that she was pinning against the wall and aimed it at the skinny guy with the high voice.

He froze.

"OR, I can put the gun down and all of you can call your crew and tell Tryan that you couldn't locate Garfield."

The moment was decisive. Breathing was heavy and fingers were quivering in their gloves.

In the second that Rachel blinked, she heard footsteps grow closer to them.

It was Garfield. He was struggling with the silk tie and was about to open his mouth for help until he saw the scene.

Three men in heavy vests were face down on the floor, blood was spilling out of one dude, and Rachel was two feet off the ground and against the wall with a strong arm around her waist.

"Specimen located!" thundered one of the remaining snipers.

In a blink of an eye, Garfield was immobilized with his arms behind his head. Rachel shot each and every man except Garfield in the thigh and watched them collapsed onto the floor. She pulled her collar up over her nose and grabbed Garfield's hand.

"Go to my car." She tossed her car keys at him and pushed him down the stairs. Garfield rolled down, hitting his head against the steps, and landing the second entrance of the hotel lobby; he jumped to his feet and toppled people onto the floor. He entered the parking lot and heard a loud gunshot go off. Within seconds, the entire hotel was in a frenzy. Garfield plucked the keys into the ignition and pulled the car directly under the broken window Rachel had thrown the grenade out of. He heard screams and reached for the cell phone in his pocket. Garfield hurriedly pressed the buttons on the screen and yelled incoherent words as the operator repeated that Rachel's number was 'No longer in service.' He revved up the vehicle and grimaced at the guys wearing NBC suits enter the hotel building.

The way Garfield's heart repeatedly walloped deep in his chest made sweat pour down his temples and down onto the expensive suit Rachel had mysteriously conjured up for him. He nervously tapped his shoe against the pedals and scrolled the windows up to lower risks of bullets hitting him. Suddenly he heard a thump knock against the door and watched Rachel used another one of her toxic gases to melt the car hinge to quickly enter. Rachel ran a hand through her hair and pulled him out of the driver's seat.

"I will give you the signal for when it's safe. Right now I need you to remain in forensic fetal position with your top extremities over your head."

Garfield raised an eyebrow. "Wha-"

"Get on the car floor and don't get up until I say so!"

The car nearly ran over a child while trying to evade David and her father. Suddenly, bullets aligned themselves along the windshield and windows. Garfield gasped.

"Be careful," he clenched his jaw. Rachel drank in his obvious care for her, despite his threatening lies, and smiled.

"The windows are bulletproof, sweetheart."

Garfield squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the screams of civilians. In a couple minutes, the shots to the car had stopped and they were on a path of safety.

"You can get up now."

Garfield leapt into the passenger seat and peered out of the window. There was no sign of any scratch, any bullets. It was as if Rachel had just bought the car. Garfield ogled Rachel. She was so gorgeous in that suit, so flawless with that face, and amazingly hot in the way she handled her weapons. Garfield scratched his chest.

"Um, Rachel?"

She shot him an approving look before stopping at a red light.

"I honestly don't know where to start but I'm gonna tell you the truth."

She blinked. "Sounds like a good idea," she said sarcastically.

Garfield shook his head. "I was born in Africa to scientist parents-"

"Garfield?"

"Hmm?" he wondered.

"I know."

"You know?"

"I know."

"You know," he acknowledged.

Rachel grabbed his hand. "And I also want you to know that I don't care if you were some kind of alien. You are a person just like any other and..."

Garfield stared into her eyes.

"And I don't think any less of you."

His throat began to close up and a grin was starting to become visible. "Really?"

"Really. I just wish you told me sooner."

"I didn't wanna scare you off."

"Nothing scares me."

Garfield nodded. "That's kinda attractive."

"Besides, none of what's going on is your fault. It's mine."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I'm the daughter of the man that created Trigon Deathstroke."

Garfield's mouth opened. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Okay....this is not how she wanted it to go.

Rachel shook her head. "I'm a sniper for a secretive branch of the FBI. My father used to work the FBI until he thought that their efforts weren't helping anyone. So he decided to create-"

"Your dad killed my parents?"

"Yes."

Garfield clenched his jaw and balled up his fists.

"Garfield, please-"

"So what does he want?"

"He wants you to die, basically."

"Well I'll do him one better. Kill me, Rae."

"What?" she asked, her face contorting.

"Do it. I'm no one, I'm a failure. I hate everyone-"

"Shut up." Rachel shoved his chest. "I will not kill you. It's my job to keep you alive."

"Is it Rae?"

Garfield was beginning to lose all hope.

"Yes," she growled.

"I thought it was to kill me and bring my corpse to your dad so he could get richer."

"Do you trust me Garfield?" she asked him with all seriousness. Tension filled the car.

"Do I want to jump off a cliff?" he asked her in reply.

"Don't fuck with me."

He sighed. "Well look who's mad now!"

Rachel continued to steer the car forward with an occasional glance out the window.

"There's a reason you should cooperate with me, you know"

"Really? What's that?" Garfield rolled his eyes. There was no point in anything anymore!

"Because there is a little girl in a hospital just like you!"

"Who?" he scoffed.

"Your daughter."

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**:D REVIEW! **

**Update is coming soon! Um, yeah. There is no little boy. That was actually my memory failing me. Sorry for the inconvenience.  
**


	23. Night

**I'm back. I'm really feelin' this chapter. Raven From Alaska is officially the greatest reviewer ever! :) Thanks a lot!  
**

**Disclaimer: don't own TT.  
**

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The car easily treaded through the rivers of rain. Her leg nervously tapped to the rhythm of the windshield wipers swishing water off the windows for a clearer view.

"Garfield?" she whispered.

He turned over on the car seat and readjusted his eyes from staring into the darkness. He heard Rachel call his name, but he couldn't bear to speak to her.

Not now.

Not ever.

"Garfield I know you're mad at me for not telling you."

She sighed at the heavy silence and toyed with the car keys. They had been driving for two hours straight and it was nearing time to stock up on food and head to a rest stop.

"Talk to me."

He grunted and snatched his ipod from his jeans pocket and placed the buds in place to block out her voice. He pressed play and realized that it wasn't even his music player when the first song played. It was some song called 'Fidelity' by Regina Spektor. He cringed. The car suddenly flung to the side of the road with a harsh squeak. Garfield's head hit the window and the ipod flew into the air. He saw Rachel's face close to his and his eyes widened.

"Garfield, listen to me. I'm so sorry for everything that's happening right now. But at this moment I need you to cooperate with me if you want to live."

Her voice was sharp and crisp; there was no sign of hesitation or nervousness in her tone. It stunned Garfield in the way she was so blunt, especially since he just found out he had a daughter that he might not be able to see. Garfield balled his fists in his sweatshirt pockets and tried to swallow down the lump in his throat.

"Now," she continued. "We're going to one of my friend's house to stay the night. It's safe there so Tryan won't-"

"How do you think it feels to be miles away from your dying baby?" he asked quietly. Rachel bit her lip and watched his red eyes roam over her face.

"I know it must feel terrible but-"

"I'm gonna get to see her, right?" he wondered aloud, referring to his daughter suffering from an immune disease thanks to his animalistic DNA.

"Of course," she assured him. Garfield nodded.

"When we get back I think we should break up," he blurted. Rachel turned cold.

His face was bland but his voice told her that he was edgy about this.

"Excuse me?" she trembled visibly. This was the second time someone broke up with her with such valor.

Garfield inhaled a deep breath. "I don't think I've changed from being the bad-boy man whore. Plus, your dad killed my parents. It's awkward to know that you come from a _family of assassins_. I think that I'm not a good match for you. I mean, you're a secret spy person and me? I'm a freak. It's not going to work out, Rae. I think I'm better off with Tara 'cause-"

**IF ONLY** he could hear how ridiculous those words sounded coming from his mouth! Rachel kept biting her tongue until it bled to not angrily explode. Garfield has had enough violence for today, she decided. Besides, a daughter of a _family of assassins_ should keep her temper under control.

"You're breaking up with me?"

He gave a measly smile. "Uh-huh."

Rachel couldn't hold it in any longer. She raised her hand up and shoved his shoulder. He grumbled. "What?"

"All you ever talked to me was about how you wanted adventure in your life! You told me you wanted to change your ways and become a faithful boyfriend and this is how you end it? Now you're telling me that you're going back to Tara, a woman that cheated on with three other guys in the small period of time you guys were dating? That's disgusting!" she screamed. Garfield blinked. Never before had he seen her this livid.

"Know what else is disgusting? ME! I'm an animal!" he yelled back at her, their eardrums nearly exploding.

"You are not an animal, damnit. You are a human with two eyes, two ears, two legs just like the rest of us. I am trying to help you so-"

"So what? What is it going to take for you to understand that I'm not normal? I'm an animal!"

"You...are a cowardly lion."

_What did she just say? How lame could this argument get in the next five minutes?_

Garfield shook his head and stroked her hand as if to lessen the apprehension.

"Look, Rae we shared some pretty awesome times together but last night was unforgettable. I hurt you bad and I can have relationship like this-"

"Like what?"

"You know, like this. We're better off apart."

"That's the problem! If we're apart one of us is going to get killed in the next 72 hours. If you accept the fact that I'm trying to help you and not kill you then we might, just MIGHT live!"

"Rachel, listen! I- I just need time to...."

"To what?"

"To decide if-"

"To decide if you want to screw me or the mother of your child over?"

That car ride was the beginning of an earthquake-like headache.

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**TT.**

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Her name was Edith Rose and she was forty-nine (just a year younger than Rachel's mother). She had a strong accent, smelled like heavy Dolce and Gabbana perfume, and had a passion for lewd comments. She greeted both with a heavy hug and sloppy kisses on the cheek. Garfield and Rachel were seated at separate ends of her mauve couch with their arms crossed over their chest.

"Your mother told me about your new fiancé. How lucky of man you are to be getting married such an astounding young lady!" she motioned toward Garfield. He nodded.

"I'm pretty lucky," he mumbled under his breath.

Edith pulled at her collar and smacked her lipstick covered mouth together.

"So how did you two meet?"

"A library," Rachel lied.

"A coffee shop," Garfield miffed at the same time. Edith raised an eyebrow.

"It's okay if you met online, you know. My lady friends said that Dr. Phil advised was a gift to all socially inept."

Garfield sighed. "No, no. We met in a library. Our first date was in a coffee shop."

"Ah," she smiled. "I understand."

Rachel swept the sweat off her forehead and eyed Garfield. He seemed dejected and irate at the same time. "Er, Edith would you mind if we headed up to bed early? We're really tired from our pre-honeymoon," she beseeched her.

"Of course not! Let me show you where you'll be staying!"

Garfield stood up and failed to show courtesy by helping Rachel off the couch. Instead, he grabbed his belongings and followed the hostess.

"I presumed that you'd be fine with sleeping in the same bed. I only have one guest room. I apologize," Edith smiled, flashing shiny teeth. Rachel shook her head.

"It's completely fine. We actually wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor," she shrugged.

She flipped her hair into a messy ponytail and angrily shoved the drawer in front of her closed. Garfield rolled his eyes.

"I'm showering."

"Good. You need one."

Garfield bit his tongue and shut his eyes in effort to block out her words.

Rachel ignored his comment and began to fold her clothes to neatly place them on her bedside. She watched his back walk into the bathroom and shut the door with a loud slam. She narrowed her eyes.

"Open this door right now!" she wriggled the doorknob incessantly.

Garfield groaned. "What do you want?"

"You are _not_ going to slam the door in a place you're lucky to be sleeping in!"

He glared at her. "Or what?"

"I'll use a weapon to paralyze your left hand."

"Shut up."

The door closed in front of her eyes.

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**TT.**

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The time was 10:37 PM and Rachel was in the malleable bed struggling to find a comfortable position. She was wearing a grey slip that she hoped wouldn't attract any vulgar comments from Garfield. But of course, as usual Garfield would use his tongue almost as quick as Rachel used hers. The bathroom door creaked open and out strolled Garfield in a fresh pair of moose-patterned boxers and orange wife beater. His face was morose, his hair wet, and shoulders slumped. He glanced at her tired face and snapped the towel off of his shoulder and threw it into a closet-the same closet he snatched a warm blanket from. "I'm sleeping on the floor," he said, despite the plenty of room Rachel had unwillingly but kindly left for him on the other side of the bed.

She didn't reply.

"I'm sleeping on the floor," he repeated.

"Would you like a reward?" she snarled.

Garfield cleared his throat and ran a hand through his slightly wet hair.

"Just for that I'm sleeping with you!"

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" she laughed bitterly. Garfield whipped the blanket off of her and snatched it towards him. She grabbed it back.

"Bitch."

He positioned himself in the bed and left her facing his back.

Rachel began to count the little threads she noticed popping out of his worn-out shirt and noticed him turning around to face her. They spent an immense amount of time staring at each other's blank faces.

She bit her lip.

"Your dad killed my parents."

Garfield gripped the blanket a little tighter. "But I can't hold that against you because it's not like you told him to do that," he spoke carefully as if he was speaking to a feral child when in truth; it was him with abnormal abilities.

"My ex was killed earlier today," she blurted. What was she doing? Trying to match up to his grievances?

Garfield looked down at the folds in the navy pillow. "That sucks."

"It does."

"Why didn't you tell me about your life and your dad?" he asked her.

"I didn't want to scare you away."

This was slightly reminiscent of their earlier conversation....except this conversation was painfully distressing.

"Well it's scarier knowing that I can't trust you."

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**TT.**

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Garfield followed her out of the bedroom and a heavy aroma of bacon filled his nostrils. Edith popped out of the doorway.

"Did you guys have a nice night?" she raised an eyebrow worriedly.

"It was amazing," lied Garfield, trying to hide the need to rub his red eyes. Rachel was noticeably slow in her actions this morning.

"What went wrong? I didn't hear any noises!" Edith's smile curled down.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Noises?"

Edith began to scramble around nervously. "Did you guys need protection?"

Garfield shot Rachel a What-the-F-look. "Excuse me?"

This was going to be an awkward morning.

Tryan Roth drilled his eyes into the picture in his bony fingers.

It was a young blond child on the shoulders of his father. Specimen #004768.

He turned his eyes to a photo of a premature baby girl attached to several tubes for breathing and feeding. Madeline Leigh Logan was officially Specimen #004769.

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**Ouch. Looks like their relationship has hit an unmoving brick wall. Read and Review!**

**Thanks so much to all reviewers, you are in my thoughts while writing!**

**Please excuse grammatical mistakes.**


	24. Assault

**Oh yeah, brutal chapter right here. Be prepared. Thanks to all who reviewed! I'm so happy that this is getting positive reviews! But hey, negative is alright too.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own TT.  
**

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"Go to hell."

This wasn't the normal "go to hell" she'd smile at him when he threatened her with a tickle attack by the 'tickle monster'. This wasn't the normal "go to hell" she'd mutter under her breath when he made fun of the fact that she snored. This was the "go to hell" that meant Rachel wanted him gone. Out of her sight.

Garfield felt something rumble in his chest. "What?" he snapped in anger.

His emerald eyes were now dusty and his skin now a pasty color. He stumbled back a few steps as she neared him as if she was getting ready to _really _hurt him. Rachel raised a fist a slammed it down onto his chest. This afternoon was about to get ridiculously Chris Brown and Rihanna. His eyes shut and he didn't flinch.

"You can do better than that, sweetheart."

Rachel's wild eyes flared across his smirking face. Oh, how she wanted him to feel the pain she had gone through for the past twenty years. Rachel got ready to slap him on the face but was caught by his strong hand gripping sharply around her wrist. She got her other hand below his chin and flicked two fingers on a neck nerve she was trained to attack when she attended Roth Skills Preparatory. He staggered forward into her, clutching his neck and wincing.

"Ouch."

His head for bent down as if he was praying for his life span to increase and landed on Edith's couch. Rachel now leaned over the kitchen counter and watched him take in a deep breath. He flipped his hair back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's domestic violence."

"You told me that fighting in a relationship keeps you aroused," she shot back. Of course, they were still in a relationship....right? Garfield suggested that they break up when all of the heavy storms clear over. But what should they do now?

He bit his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Not anymore. You're the most un-arousing, un-gorgeous creature on the planet!"

Her eyes widened. "Really now? Did you think I was actually attracted to you?"

Garfield stared at her. What? Was she serious? Garfield couldn't help but feel a little...hurt.

"You were the most hideous man my father ever plotted to kill! God, I wish I was fucking Kellan right now."

Garfield felt his hands tremble in his pockets. "Good. You need a good fuck."

Unbelievable. "That's your response? You think I need to get laid?" she asked.

"Yep. I could help you with that."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. That's all he could think of? She placed her hands on her hips. "Last time we tried that you nearly killed me!"

He laughed. "Well maybe this time I'll try harder to finish the job."

Her throat almost closed up. "If I die, you'll have no one to protect you. Not your parents, not your friends, not your baby's mother, and not even your baby would be alive if I was gone."

Garfield groaned. "Arghh...!" he screamed and punched the wall, flashing a large dent in the hallway.

Rachel gave him an incredulous glare. "Congratulations. You just vandalized a place you're lucky to be sleeping in. You better be glad Edith's out buying groceries right now."

He threw his head back and ran up to her. Her eyes widened as he pinned her against the wall. It didn't hurt her...yet this was kind of awkward. Rachel had no clue to what extent his strength could reach. "I know it's wrong to put hands on a lady...but you're not a lady. You're a monster."

She stared into his angry eyes with an equal amount of irritation.

"Is this coming from the creature of the black lagoon?"

Oh how funny. She made fun of his abnormalities. Garfield back away from her and placed his hands deep into his jeans pockets. He turned around and headed for their bedroom.

"That's it. I'm leaving."

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**TT.**

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Tryan Roth scared nearly every patient in the hospital. The kid needing a dialysis next to him nearly collapsed onto the floor when he saw the shadow of a tall man tower over him. Roth headed toward the main counter and cut in front of everyone in the large queue.

"Excuse me sir-"

Tryan licked his lips and flashed the barrel of a gun out of his coat pocket that only the woman in front of him saw. She gulped and shut her mouth.

Tryan laughed under his breath and quickly used his cane to propel himself inside a closing elevator.

"What floor?" asked an elderly man in the elevator. Roth pondered for a moment and rubbed his nail across his coat.

"Maternity Ward."

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**TT.**

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"You cannot leave! Where would you go?" she screamed in his ear. He ignored her and began to stuff a plastic WalMart full of his clothes.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked. He continued to wander around the room and entered the bathroom to wash his face.

She raised her hand to tap him lightly on the shoulder but found herself being pinned against the wall once again.

"Listen, this is something I'm gonna have to do. I can't say I love you, but I do know that I enjoyed most of our time together. You had my heart, had it wrapped around your finger, and this is how the relationship is going to end. I know people go through ups and downs but I can't handle this. I'm catching a bus and heading back to Evanston to see my baby. If your dad catches me, let him. I'll die knowing I had a good life."

He let go of her and reached into the third drawer. He exposed a manila folder full of money and grabbed a handful to stuff into his jacket. Rachel felt her eyes filling up with water. She wanted to grab him and kiss him. She wanted to let him know she was sorry for all that had happened. And...he didn't love her? Despite all the lies she told him in the argument earlier...she loved him so much that air began to thin when he wasn't around. Rachel noticed him throwing the door open and walking out on her. Walking out on _her._

_

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_**TT.**

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The blonde had a nurse wipe the sweat off her forehead at her request.

"I want a paternity test."

"Erm, what?" the fidgety nurse asked.

"I want a paternity test," Tara demanded. What Tara Shire asked for, it's what Tara Shire GOT.

The nurse's eyes widened and she nodded repetitively. "Yes ma'am."

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**TT.**

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Tryan eyed the glass wall and his eyes scanned over the rows of babies.

Aarons, Allan, Carpenter, Dexter,.....where was Logan? Tryan looked at the labels of last names and noticed a nurse carrying a sickly baby near a rumbling machine. It was attached to tubes. Now, if Tryan Roth was a normal man he'd feel sorry for the poor girl. But everyone that's anyone knows Tryan Roth doesn't have an ounce of true concern in his body. The vulnerable baby cried and cried as the nurse cleaned its tubes. The nurse turned around. What a perfect time to make his move.

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**Shorter than usual, but hey! There's a butt-load of heavy stuff that's going on now. I really hope you enjoyed it. If you're confused about something, or have any questions don't hesitate to review with them or send me a PM!**

**ily!**

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!! :)  
**


	25. Reevaluate

**One of my worst, and yet one of my favorites. Sorry for the long update wait. It's summer now so I should be able to update soon....but I will be in another country in five days....so bear with me!**

**Disclaimer: everything is mine except TT, Sprite, brand name stuff, etc.  
**

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The scar covered by hair on the back of his neck was beginning to throb like hell. Every step he took, he'd feel a deep pounding in his veins. The pain was getting unbelievable. Garfield frantically looked around in the abandoned shack he stood inside, and jumped into a chair to close his eyes. He hoped this would make the pain ebb a little. It didn't. Garfield thought it was about time for another of his 'transformations'. After all, he'd go through an episode after extreme emotional thinking-and he was thinking that the morning fight with Rachel caused his neck to ache. _This _was not the way he wanted to live his life. Garfield usually woke up at least twice every two weeks in some random girl's bed with a hangover. He'd throw up, take some Motrin, and walk to a friend's house to spend the rest of the day. Most people didn't have high expectations of him...that is, until he met Rachel. She made him feel so alive and worth _something._ The night he cuddled with her made him feel like a man. He smirked at himself. Cuddling? Made him feel like a man?

Well sure. He stroked her hair and occasionally kissed her jaw line. She unintentionally moved her body closer to his as she fell asleep and he'd make sure she didn't go anywhere. He wanted her to be his. And him to be hers.

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**TT.**

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Rachel set the glass of Chardonnay on the bar counter and proceeded to drum her fingers in boredom. She was waiting for Agent Jasper Finley to show up and aid her in recapturing Garfield. It wasn't that she was going to turn him over to Tryan (though she should for his curtness the morning before), she was going to get him to cooperate. No lovey dovey stuff this time. Just business.

She noticed a figure creeping up slowly behind her and turned around hoping it was Jasper. It wasn't.

"Hey pretty lady." The guy looked to be about twenty-seven, with two lip ring piercings. Tattoos colored his neck and his hair was in a fauxhawk. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Ooh, snarky. I like my women that way," he replied.

She bit her tongue to evade a scene from exploding in the raving bar. Rachel stood up to walk away from the guy intruding her space until he raised his hands in the air as if defending himself.

"I'm sorry. I'll be nice."

She eyed him up and down. It wasn't time for her to be mingling at a stressful time like this....!

"I'm Quinn. Quinn Hartley." He extended his hand forward, hoping Rachel would shake it.

She didn't.

Quinn took a seat next to her and stared absentmindedly at the ceiling.

"So, uh what brings you here?"

She wasn't willing to share any information with this random guy. For all she knew, he could have been Tryan's spy! She crossed her arms in front of her chest and kept her composure.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

He laughed. "Aw, nothing at all? You didn't feel like you wanted to dance, did you break up with someone, or did you just need a couple drinks?"

"....Something like that."

Quinn noticed her introverted personality and strangely enough, it intrigued him.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he blurted. Rachel eyed him.

"What are you getting at?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to-"

"Get me drunk and in bed? I think not."

Rachel grabbed her purse and swiftly left the counter, leaving Quinn in amazement.

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**TT.**

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Garfield couldn't stand to be away from a baby that was supposedly his. And the fact that she wasn't going to make it for another two days made him feel worse. But nothing could have prepared him for what came next.

A bullet fired through the shack and lightly grazed his arm.

"Dammit, Dave I thought you could shoot better than that!"

Garfield whipped around and faced three men. They all had guns perfectly strapped in their hands, ready to blow Garfield's brains out. Garfield dropped his phone and stared at the scene in front of him with an open mouth.

"Are you Garfield Mark Logan?" asked a man. He nodded.

"Do you understand that you could have possibly infected three people with the deadly disease, Sakutia?"

Garfield raised an eyebrow. "What? I have an STD?"

One of the men in the circle slapped his own forehead. "No, you dumbass. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you did..."

"Quiet David!" snapped the taller man.

"You were born in Africa, correct?"

"Yeah."

Unlike Rachel, Garfield was completely open to spilling his life to any random stranger.

"Men, take him into custody."

He had to admit, it was pretty stupid to answer the guys that nearly blasted his arm off. If it wasn't for Garfield ADD, he probably wouldn't have gotten just a graze.

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**TT.**

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He woke up in the back of black van. He attempted to sit up until he noticed that his legs wouldn't move. He lowered his gaze to his legs and saw several syringes poking out of his skin.

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**TT.**

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Rachel stared David down. "Where the hell is he?"

"I don't see why it matters. He dumped you, eh?"

She whipped a hand at his face, causing him to grip his mouth. "Ow."

Rachel then jabbed his stomach with her knee.

"Rach, stop."

She didn't.

She grabbed his arms and bent them behind his back, causing him to fall onto the floor. What a weakling.

"Come on David, don't be pathetic. If you win this then you don't have to tell me where you put him."

David was already breathless, lying on the floor with no intention of fighting his half sister. She raised her foot to plant it square on his chest. He gasped when she bent down to press a small gun to his forehead. It was like any other gun. It was...thinner....

and the barrel was sharp. She nicked his head with the gun and watched him wince.

"You're so sad. That's why Dad always liked me best."

David attempted to sit up, but with her on him it proved to be a hard task. Blood began to trickle down his head and red liquid clouded his vision. He frantically looked around in horror.

"What did you do to me?" he screamed. Rachel trembled at the fact that she was terrorizing her little brother. The boy that helped her shoot a basket in their wide driveway at age three and a half. She slit his chin with the edge of the gun and grabbed at his ink covered neck.

"Where is he?" she asked once again.

David's breaths were beginning to slow. "Do you love him?" he whispered.

Rachel dropped the gun and watched his chest heave.

"Do you love him?" he repeated forcefully. Rachel pierced her eyes into his glazed over stare.

"I do."

"I'm not going to go against our dad. I'd kill myself before I ever help _you._"

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**TT.**

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Garfield was being stripped of his clothes by tall, hairy men. As awkward as that moment was, he didn't contravene against them. Garfield stood with his face pressed upon a cold glass door. Why wasn't he yelling for his life? Why wasn't he standing up for himself to rectify the situation? He sighed. Garfield, as handsome and smart as he was, had no hope left. He had broken up with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, his child was some gazillion miles away dying, he wasn't wholly human, and.....and....life just sucked. He would have given anything to be with his friends laughing at the moment.

"Sir, please raise your hands over your head."

"Get the hell away from me!" he suddenly snapped with a drastic change in attitude. Garfield pushed the man away. He felt strange yelling in only red boxers but he didn't need much to display anger. Garfield's neck began to throb once again.

"Sir, please-"

Much to the man's horror, Garfield started to morph. In fear, he watched Garfield grow taller and teeth mature into sharp knives. It looked to be something out of comic book. The entire room was now shaking as Garfield lifted the man up by his collar shirt and squeezed his neck so hard that his vessels could have exploded, creating a splash of Van Gogh-like red. He heard shrieks and screams as the people staring through the glass room back away. Garfield's eyes were furiously blinking as if he couldn't see and he groaned. His voice came out as a dying growl when the door suddenly flew open.

It was Tryan. Being such a dramatic moment, Tryan gave a devilish laugh.

"I've finally caught the little animal."

Garfield snapped toward the voice and dropped the man in his hands, letting him fall to pain. Tryan neared Garfield and laughed as he trembled. Garfield had power to terrorize and still didn't know how to use it? Unbelievable. Garfield was a waste of human life. And even more, was that he was winning the heart of his daughter. Disgusting!

Tryan pulled out a small, grey machine which produced toxic fumes at the press of a button.

"Son, can I speak to you?"

Garfield shuddered. "You-you're that man that hates me."

It was a shock to him that his voice came out as the voice of a small child's.

"Yes. Yes I am."

Garfield felt his body shrinking to normal size and build. His skin was finished stretching and the pain in his teeth was slowly easing. But the throb in his neck was anything but getting better.

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It was ridiculous. He wanted to die? Over what?

"Get a hold of yourself!" she slapped his face. David blinked back tears.

"Rach, I've always been a pussy. I can't stand up for myself at _all. _Now I regret not taking those boxing lessons dad wanted me to take but I can't do anything now! I got diagnosed with Huntington's two months ago," he quivered.

Rachel stared at him with a slightly open mouth.

"I have about ten to fifteen years to live and this is _not _how I wanted to tell you. Mom's having an affair with a recovering alcoholic. And NOW, dad's in a room getting ready to kill your lover. This family is so fucked up Rach. So fucked up."

Rachel felt her limbs growing heavy.

"Just kill me. I can't do anything else. Please. If you don't do it, I'll do it myself."

David made a move for the weapon in her hand. Rachel wrestled it out of his grip and pressed it against his temple.

"Is this what you want?"

David lowered his gaze. "Kill me. Do it!" he yelped.

"I will do no such thing. David Roth, get up this instant," she called to him. David leaned against the wall in fetal position.

"You are better than that, okay? You can't be dad's little robot. AND you can't die. What you can do is help me so I can help you."

The way she was handling this right now was surprising. She helped her suicidal brother up and stared him square in the eye.

"I'm not going to baby you and call some stupid hotline so you can have a chat about your 'feelings'. You are a man and we both are going to handle this situation accordingly, understand?"

David continued to stare into space. Rachel's eyes were now bloodshot as if she was plastered the night before. To be truthful, she felt plastered. What was she supposed to do now? Her half-brother was suicidal, Garfield was somewhere dying, her parents were suffering a failed marriage, her father was legally crazy....the only thing next was to take her job in full force. If someone impeded her way, murder would be the only solution to that problem.

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**I don't know what I think about this. Next chapter will have a massive and killer fight scene. Stay tuned! :)**

**Please review. Please excuse mistakes. **Sure Garfield and Rachel may seem a little OOC, but if you were in their situation would you remain in your same composure?


	26. Savior

**I'm back in America! Sorry for the wait, no internet really sucks. This chapter is short but I want you to take a gander at who you think will die, who will live, and what will be their future. It might be too early for some people, but who said speculating ever hurt? :)**

**Thanks to all of the reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: don't own anything copyrighted or TT.  
**

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Garfield stumbled forward as the harsh cold made the leather whips burn even more. He was forced onto his knees and tried to save his face from the violence by holding his sore arms in front of him.

"Enough!" bellowed a voice from above him. For a second, Garfield thought he was dead...stuck in between light and dark. He almost had the nerve to ask aloud if he was in purgatory. He strained to open his eyes but when he did, he was two inches away from a cold, metal floor. His ears were telling him that feet were backing away-meaning the whipping would pause. But his mind was telling him to get ready because the worst was just beginning. Garfield lifted a hand to rub his eyes but flew a few feet backwards when a foot kicked him in the face.

"Ready to explain yourself?" Tryan asked grimly. Garfield forced his body not to tremble.

"I do not need to explain myself to anyone and definitely not _you_!"

Garfield wanted his retort to be full of drama and seriousness. He wanted to stand up and tell Tryan off. But ended failing miserably. Tryan gave Garfield another blow to his chin.

"You lied to my daughter."

"She lied to me."

"You don't deserve her. You don't deserve a thing."

Garfield knew he didn't deserve Rachel. That woman had been through so much in her life. But was it right to say to himself that his pain was nothing compared to hers?

He flinched.

"Rachel would never lower her standards for garbage like you! Kellan was the only one I'd ever approve of her to be with. I want her to be happy, not in danger!"

Garfield shot him a distressing glare.

"I'm garbage?" he snarled. "What about you? You kill innocent people!"

Tryan grinned and crackled his white knuckles.

"Listen boy, that's where you're wrong. I kill to cleanse the world of people like you. We do it to free people of pain and suffering. If there is a woman giving birth to a Down's syndrome baby, I inject her with potassium chloride acid and she and her baby die instantly. If I see a bugchaser, I kill him too! I see a freak like you and just give me a couple days, you're dead!"

Garfield, horrendously astounded at Tryan Roth's controversial logic, grimaced. He hung his head low and squeezed his eyes shut.

So if he was never going to see his friends again, hold his baby girl, or kiss Rachel's soft lips ever again...what was the point of anything?

"Kill me," Garfield begged. Wasn't it better for him to be wiped off the Earth? His friends wouldn't miss him, would they? Rachel would not care if a low life scumbag like him was dead. Suddenly, a white light appeared. It was cliché. It was something that people would see in movies- a person is getting harshly treated and then comes someone very unlikely (or likely) to save them. Garfield lifted his eyes to scour the room and felt his breath catch in his chest when he saw Sergei, Tara's fiancé. He knew that there was no reason to be surprised at the bulky Russian, but the fact that everyone was targeting him made him feel like a failure. Garfield shot up from his dismal position and racked his mind from terrifying thoughts to figure out a way to get out of this mess.

"Cornered."

Garfield found himself being held by the neck, nails piercing into his skin and hands choking him.

Sweat was beginning to pour into his own eyes that were blurring his failing vision. His sparse breaths were becoming more and more ragged as Tryan and masked men neared him with razors. His eyes widened.

"Specimen has infamous scar located dorsally behind mass of hair," announced Sergei in his stupid accent. Garfield growled at the men touching him.

Tryan grinned and watched his army infringe the already seemingly defeated Garfield Logan.

"One Logan down, one to go."

Garfield's ears suddenly perked up. His parents were dead. Garfield was _about_ to be dead. Who was the other Logan?

Oh, right.

He felt his biceps stretching, his body morphing to accommodate the extra muscle and fat, and his mouth growing into a wicked glower.

"What the _hell _did you do to Maddie?"

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Rachel shook her head at the extremely slow elevator. Tryan's human laboratory was on level 3. The animal laboratory was on level 4. She had no time to contemplate in which Garfield would be in. For all she knew, Garfield could have been lollygagging in the normal waiting room in the lobby! Or worse...in one of torture cavities. She cursed and slammed her fist onto the pasty walls. She had to find Garfield before her dad had made full use of him. Rachel quickly ran across Hall 2 and bumped into a random man. God, why couldn't it have been a woman like Kori? All of these crazy, testosterone-filled creeps were really starting to get to her mind.

"Rachel, I'm afraid your father asked me not to allow any unauthorized persons inside this building."

"I'm his fucking daughter. I was authorized before I was even born!" she countered, not in the mood to argue with rules. She pulled out a tranquilizer and aimed the dart into his temple. Within five seconds this guy should have been knocked out. But he wasn't.

Rachel dashed behind him into another elevator and gasped when the man's hand got caught in the doors. Usually, elevators were supposed to reopen when an object prevented the doors to close. Tryan had them especially made by a Japanese terrorist to injure the unlucky person getting their body part stuck in between the doors. Rachel slammed the hand back and winced at the blood that dripped down the door when the elevator moved past Level 3 and up to Level 4. At Level 5, Rachel pulled out a small crowbar from her breast pocket and managed to open the sticky doors without a handless man chasing after her. Suddenly she heard alarms sound. They were in the pattern of three bells dinging, meaning that someone had gotten in when the place was supposedly on lockdown. And that was her.

She froze when guards flew from all sides of the hallway. The guards whipped out guns before she could even flinch.

For a change, a woman charged towards her, pinning Rachel to the ground. Grunts and pained groans were made as both females fought, wriggling on the floor. The men behind them stared at the scene with dumbfounded expressions. Rachel had no choice left. She had to take some lives away. Pulling out a small rifle, she shot the men around her with skilled ease. The woman winced and in a blink, Rachel had exchanged her gun with a knife with her jacket pocket. Jabbing the tip into her stomach, the woman sucked in a breath.

"Let me go," muttered Rachel in a raspy voice. The woman beneath her loosened her grip on Rachel's neck and closed her eyes in defeat.

"I thought you could do better than that," Rachel shook her head at the pathetic person and dodged a bullet coming straight at her face. It was Sergei.

"Damn it," she growled while trying to escape from the scene. Sergei reached for a communicator in his pocket and began to speak Russian. She rolled her eyes. Did he forget that she was fluent in fourteen languages?

Rachel slapped the electronic out of his hand and slapped him across the face. Suddenly she heard an eerie growl from the room behind her. After all that time she spent with Garfield, she could knew his voice from a mile away. So this was it. She couldn't screw it up. She'd save Garfield, he'd thank her, and they'd forget about each other. It sounded like a simple plan...but not so simple to carry out.

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Please forgive grammar mistakes.

**I think it's pretty much guaranteed that some people will be having a funeral soon.** Guess who.

Read and Review! Thank you for all the feedback and alerts.


	27. Cry

**Yes, it has been long but I sure hope that this chapter was worth it. If you thought I gave up on this, you thought wrong. My life is writing. And if I get stuck, I'll go back to it. No matter what.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TT.  
**

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The last time she was pacing the creaking stairs breathing heavily was when she just turned eight years old- her father told her never to enter any unauthorized levels without him knowing. But of course, she didn't care to listen to him. The little girl would wait until both her parents were out of sight (or on different levels of the building) and would slip into the dangerous elevators and sate her curiosity. With her flip flops slightly slapping the tile behind her, Rachel would creep up and down creaking staircases. Her most hated (ironically, her mother's favorite) sundress would swish around her knees causing annoyance when disobeying her father's commands. But she'd eventually end up in front of a heavy, white door with a toxic symbol painted on it. It was a failed attempt to sneak into a forbidden area of the building since the door was only opened by a giant key. And to get through was merely a dream since no one, absolutely no one, was able to pass inside. Rachel remembered when giant, burly men would come and deliver strange boxes with fumes seeping through the cardboard, her father would hold meetings with well known diplomats, and when she taught David how to sneak a microphone in their father's office. Ah, good times.

But here she was, more than ten years later fighting to get the love of her life back in her arms. Cheesy, she knew, but Rachel cringed at the very thought of never seeing Garfield again...or worse...seeing him-paler than her father- laying in a casket. She swallowed back the dismaying thoughts and expertly pressed numbers on the wall keypad in front of her. Rachel flung herself into a door and gripped onto a steel railing when the door collapsed in front of her. Sprinting down stairs and into passageways that she was oblivious to when she was a child, she felt a searing pain stab through her ankle. She plummeted onto the floor and grunted, having her arms pinned down as a result of flailing down. She was facing her father. His hair was disheveled, face bruised, and worst of all- his expensive shirt was torn at the sleeves.

Rachel watched his chest heavily rise up and down.

"I see that Garfield has already started finishing you off," she deadpanned. Tryan stood up and slapped his cane at the ground. His eyes wildly scanned over her face. "Run. Run for your life," he coughed blood onto his silk tie. Rachel slid up the wall and grabbed her father by the neck.

There was _no _way he was going to get away with fake trepidation.

"Where is he?" her eyes narrowed at the unusually scrawny man before her. Tryan's gloomy expression wickedly turned into grin. Stained red teeth flashed Rachel's vision.

"In hell."

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If hearts could physically choose where they wanted to be, Rachel was sure hers would have been crawling out of her chest and heading for the nearest exit.

But it wasn't.

Instead, it was hammering inside her body pleading to calm down.

"G-Garfield?" she whispered. Garfield's eyes suddenly snapped open and in an instant Rachel was on his left shoulder, holding on by his hair. The normal Garfield that shone with charisma and lure was pinning Rachel onto the floor. He was bigger now, with longer hair and stronger features. He was going to show her that he was the one on top in this relationship. He was going to show her that lying doesn't go forgiven....especially if the consequences include death. She blinked and was surprised that she was on the cool floor with him towering over her.

"You lied."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Your dad killed my baby. _My _baby." His shirt was scattered at the corner of the unfriendly room and he wore a pair of sweatpants that hung low on his hips.

Rachel tried to raise a hand to caress his face- like her mother would do when she didn't get an A+- but found her wrist to be gripped forcefully.

"Please, don't." She found her voice to be shy and awkward like when they had both kissed for the first time. Garfield didn't blink. His green eyes tinted red and flashed a look of hatred towards her.

She shook her head. This wasn't Garfield. He would never hit her. He would never even lay a finger on her without one of her annoyed consents. Garfield dropped to his knees and watched Rachel's horrified face as one of his hands reached for her hair and the other hand reached for the gun in her pant holster. She twitched at his forceful behavior and felt her throat closing up. She had been in this position with several people before- people that she hated and equally hated her would attempt to kill her- but this was different.

"I want you die. Bitch, bleed. I want you to bleed and-"

Rachel blinked back tears. She hadn't cried in so long and now this was how the tears were going to fall? Was this really what she deserved? Love really does kill, she assumed.

Garfield was ready for the bullet to permeate her skull. He was ready for her to know what it felt like to be different. He wanted her to want him...just as much as he loved her. He lowered his forehead to touch hers.

"Garfield, listen I know somewhere in you that you don't want to hurt me-"

His arms trembled. Then an epiphany occurred. Garfield was a man, not an animal. He had a purpose just like any other. Why were his emotions lashing out at who he loved? Garfield wasn't being himself. He was being who he thought he was. He was being who they wanted him to be. But in reality, he wasn't.

"I'm not...I'm not."

She nodded and bit her lip. "I know Gar, I know."

"I don't kill."

"You don't."

His expression of wild eyes and fangs were starting to shape back to their normal ways. Garfield suddenly pressed the gun against her chin.

"I DO kill," he snapped, completely unfazed by his realization. Her eyes widened and she crumpled beneath the floor waiting for the gunshot to be the final sound she heard, instead of Garfield's normal, soothing masculine voice. But the next sound she heard was a complete surprise. A gunshot blasted through the room and the last thing she saw was Garfield flailing down on top of her with a blank face.

And the next thing she did was cry. Because it was the only thing she could do.

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**

Please excuse my mistakes. I don't have a beta so everything is my fault. lol.

Um, it was...sad? Depressing? I really hope it didn't make you want to dance. lol. A few MAJOR clarifications:

1. **Madeline, Garfield's daughter that he was never able to see, has passed away. She wasn't _murdered. _**Think about that.

2. **'Garfield', per se, didn't want to kill Rachel. He was in a....let's say...._psychotic state of mind_ that made him want to hurt her. It's not like one of those abusive relationships. Maybe Garfield's bestial aggression caused him to behave that way. Perhaps Tryan had injected him with something to make him behave in such a disgraceful manner. It will be explained. I promise.**

3. I don't know if any of you have seen the movie 'Sybil' where a young woman had multiple personalities...but this is kind of what I intended. Garfield was being in another body and behaving innapropriately. Don't think he'll right hook and jab his woman when she toasts his bread wrong....if you get my drift.

PM me for questions, concerens, previews of the next chapter, etc. And please, REVIEW. I'd really like to know who's actually reading this fic and keeping up with it. Your thoughts are what really matters to me. Not how many alerts. Thanks so much to all reviewers. You never cease to amaze me. :)


	28. Healing

**Totally back. Next chapter will give a satisfactory explanation so you know who actually shot Garfield and the future of Tryan's corporation.**

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The Capital Hill Health Center was glad to serve Rachel—at least the "mutant certified doctors" were glad to help her. The rest of the hospital was oblivious to the fact that Tryan Roth had reserved a special region of the building to assist his abnormal research. Rachel lay on the hospital bed next to Garfield and clutched at her aching side. Garfield was in his human form, wrapped deeply in gauze, blankets and heavily sedated. His face was pale and tubes were helping him breathe. As much as Rachel worried for him while staring at his weak form she knew he was going to be okay. But she didn't know if their relationship would be. A door opened and in quickly rushed 3 doctors dressed in green scrubs.

"How are you feeling?" asked one woman.

"I'm fine. How were Garfield's test results?" she blurted in anticipation. A male doctor pulled out a folder from behind him and flipped through a few pages.

"All abnormal. But what can you expect from a man with Sakutia?" Rachel sat up and snatched the information out of his hands. The doctors watched her frantic manner as best as they could while monitoring the sleeping male next to her. Rachel perused over terms such as 'CBC, B12 excess, testosterone exce—

The third doctor, the one with the white beard, carefully grabbed the papers back before Rachel could finish reading.

"He's not supposed to live."

Rachel swallowed and waited for him to continue. "It appears as though the bullet entered diagonally through his chest, almost ruptured his left lung, and exited through the back of the right shoulder."

"Shut up."

"Please let me continue," he cleared his throat. "In all my years of working for Tryan's 'patients I have never seen such a case as wondrous as this one. I mean, it's only been 48 hours and the hole in his chest is starting to minimize at a supernatural speed. Have you known about his condition?"

She nodded. "He's supposed to heal fast."

The doctor pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and blew his nose with a hankerchief and leaned against the wall.

"We will continue to conduct research on his lungs since his breathing isn't getting better…which is quite strange. My theory is that his external body can revert back to its healthy form, but his internal system may take a while to heal—though not as much as a human's system like yours or mine."

Rachel stood up. "Okay, okay but he will be fine, right?"

The doctor's eyes darted toward the other doctors in the room and back at Garfield. "We hope so."

"What the hell do you mean you hope so? I want him to be okay!" Rachel didn't want to plead but she felt as if she was groveling to God not to let the one person she absolutely loved leave.

"Ehm, his brain could be damaged by the impact of his head hitting the floor at such an incredulous speed. Surgery will need to be performed."

"When?" she whispered.

"As soon as possible."

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He wasn't supposed to be awake. But he was. He listened to every word the doctors said about his intracranial hemorrhage and unstable brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. When the doctors left, he listened to the sobs Rachel had withheld for so long cry out. He listened to her pray and admit that she didn't really believe in God until she met him. He listened to Rachel fidget in her own hospital bed and groan at her painful gashes and bruises. He listened to her pleas for him to forgive her. She admitted that she loved him and couldn't stand to live without her heart fluttering everytime she saw his face. But no matter how hard he tried to open his mouth to comfort her, he couldn't. Garfield couldn't see. He couldn't move. He could only hear. And as Rachel spoke her true feelings, he couldn't help but cry after all they've been through together. A tear rolled down his cheek.

Rachel grabbed his hand and gaped at his closed eyes that were seeping tears. Could it be that he was in so much pain that he cried in his sleep? Suddenly Rachel felt his hand squeeze hers and her heart jumped. That was when she knew his tears were of joy that they were together, and not pain.

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_Garfield turned his head toward the door as he heard keys jingle. He glided to the front door to greet her with one hand in his jeans pocket and the other ready to caress her face. She was probably tired from all the research meetings Dr. Morgan was holding on Garfield. For security reasons, he wasn't allowed to be at the meetings. The door cracked open and in slid a tired Rachel holding a bag of fast food. She was dressed in a 200 dollar gray trench coat covering her mauve sweater and a 60 dollar Ponte trouser that hugged her perfectly. Rachel looked up and they instantly locked eyes hungry for the smell, taste, touch of each other._

"_There's my beautiful wife," he grinned and hugged her with such passion that her feet weren't touching their newly carpeted floor. Rachel pressed her mouth to his and hurried to take her coat off. It was as if it was three hundred degrees hotter when they touched. Garfield pulled her away from him and placed a hand on her hip. _

"_Babe, tell me about your day."_

_Total turn-off. Rachel reached forward and straightened out the collar of his shirt while letting out a heavy sigh. "Same as usual. Old men talking about a Sakutia vaccine and ways for us to have a baby."_

_Garfield grinned. "Are we any closer to having Garfield Jr and Rachel Jr?"_

"_Yes," she said mildly, trying to suppress her amusement at his eager face. Garfield stood up to bring her the after-work tea she always drank. It was one thing she could count on him for preparing beforehand. _

"_Sweet. You wanna practice baby making tonight, then?"_

_Rachel sipped her tea and shot him a lustful glare. "If you behave while I finish my work."_

_He nodded and led her to a sofa. "Sweet. 'Cause we haven't done it in forever," he stressed. Rachel shook her head and raised an eyebrow._

"_I think I recall us practicing baby making two days ago."_

_He nodded. "Yeah babe, hence the 'forever'." _

_Rachel rolled her eyes at her husband and stood up to shower. She pointed to the bag on the granite counter. "I bought you dinner. Krazy Kuesadilla, your favorite." Garfield held her hand. _

"_My favorite dinner is Rachel Arella Roth with a side of nothing on," he grinned, kissing her gently. Rachel licked her lips and walked backwards into the hallway, really needing a shower now. _

"_Oh God, I married a horny teenager." She turned around and headed for the master bedroom as Garfield laughed. _

"_I love you Rae."_

"_I love you too."_

_

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After her dream Rachel was carefully listening to the doctors explaining the medicines Garfield could potentially have to take for the rest of his life.

"I think 20 milligrams of Ceroltozac will suffice for the headaches he'll experience for about a week or so. This medication here," the doctor pointed, "will cause him to have a higher libido but keep his emotions in check and balanced. We'll go with an anti-anxiety med in case he starts to have night terrors. It's not uncommon after brain intrusions. Any questions, Ms. Roth?"

Rachel took a sip from the glass of ice cold water next to her.

"What solutions are there for his mutations?"

The doctor shook his head. "None yet."

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Heh, um, you might be expecting a lot of explanations. They are on their way. (And this time I promise.)**


	29. Miracle

**Happy 2010! Sorry for the wait. Go on, read!**

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She truly never imagined spending Christmas Eve in the bowels of a hospital, wishing for good health of a loved one. But there she was next to the bed with a hand on Garfield's wrist and her eyes pinned on the TV in the corner. The channel was ENN and there was a live parade going on. She didn't know where but she did know it was somewhere that snowed and had very happy people. Kids were galloping around on the screen and interviewers couldn't keep the grins of their pink-from- cold weather faces. Rachel aimed the remote control at the television and turned it off. She stood up from the chair and angrily neared the exit door to ask doctors more about Garfield's condition. Was he going to wake up soon? Was he even going to live? As her face lightly pressed the glass, she noticed many staff workers buttoning up their coats and laughing with each other. The employees were talking about the gifts they had bought their bratty children and the homes they spent time volunteering in. They were going home to a family. They were going home to a nice, warm dinner. They were going home to friends to watch A Christmas Story with. Maybe even the animated version of Frosty the Snowman. Maybe even Tryan's minions (that were currently alive) were in a warm environment thinking about presents, and not about mutant humans. She bit her lip and strived to keep tears streaming down her face. Rachel turned around and heard the door open behind her.

"Rachel."

She quickly wiped her face off and faced the doctor. "Yes?"

"I'm changing shifts. There won't be many of us here to attend to Garfield because only four doctors at this hospital are qualified to treat victims of Tryan. You may even be the only one on the floor tonight."

"Okay."

The doctor stroked his white beard and touched her shoulder. "Have a merry Christmas."

"You too."

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It was only ten seventeen when Rachel was startled from her sleep. It took her a couple minutes to realize where she was. And when she finally did, she wished she never figured out that she was residing in a lonely hospital floor. She groggily sat up on the futon and reached for her jeans on the wooden table next to her. Rustling was occurring on the far side of the room. Rachel suddenly cursed herself for taking her contacts out because the dim lighting was really affecting her eyesight. She cautiously walked over to Garfield's bed and her heart nearly lept out of her chest. He wasn't in the bed. She whirled around and reached for her back pocket knife in case anyone had decided to do any Christmas abductions, but sighed when she realized her weapons weren't allowed anywhere in the room. Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her and her breath caught. Okay. She had no weapons—no lipstick laser, no paralytic pencil, and not even her trusty bionic gun. Maybe it was time to put her Judo skills to work and to take out whoever dared to creep up behind her—evil or not. Rachel raised two fingers, cocked her head to the left, and swung her leg into the air…

only to crash into a human stomach.

The human quickly grabbed her wrists and wrestled her onto the cold, tiled floor. Rachel instantly began to resist until she felt a pair of lips on her mouth. It was unlike her to be caught off guard like this, what was she thinking? She should have been attacking this malevolent mugger and not placing her hands behind the person's head! But this kiss was so forceful and yet so familiar and needed and passionate and….

Rachel opened her eyes when the kiss ended. Her brain had apparently turned to mush and found it hard to register her next move on whoever was on top of her. Her eyes focused on a muscular man with nearly no hair on his head. She grimaced and then realized something in his eyes. His eyes were green. They were the most beautiful, shimmering emerald eyes she had ever seen in her life. She stopped breathing in perplexity.

"Garfield?"

The man cracked his signature smile and used his thumb to brush away one of Rachel's stray hairs.

"Hey babe."

All emotions came rushing to her. Happiness that he was able to speak and move. Anger that he had surprised her like this. Shock that he was alive.

"W-what's going on? You were in the bed and I fell asleep and you just had surgery a couple days ago and you were in a coma and—"

He laughed. "Yeah, but I woke up 'cause I remembered stuff. Plus, I had to go pee."

"You had to go _pee_?" she said in an irritated tone of voice. How could he wake up seemingly normal and healthy and just—

"Yeah. I looked at the calendar over there," he turned towards his bedside table. "Damn, how long was I out? It's freaking Christmas Eve! Rae…how could you be awake when Santa is on his way?" he laughed.

She raised an eyebrow in deep confusion and shook her head as if this was all a dream.

"You fucking almost die, give me this shitty excuse of why you're alive, and have the nerve to talk to me about _SANTA_?"

"And I kissed you."

"And you kissed me," she repeated.

"I had to though. Or you would have karate-chopped my balls off."

"That sounds really tempting now."

"What? Negating me of my ability to have children in the future?"

"Yes."

Garfield laughed and lowered his face once again to kiss her forehead. He wasn't wearing anything but his boxers. (At the time of his admission Garfield wasn't fitting into a hospital gown.) He couldn't help but snigger at her blank expression. She was completely frozen and unreceptive to his kiss on her head. He couldn't blame her though. He too would be completely stunned at somebody's sudden wake upon the brink of death. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't exactly remember how he was able to yank the tubes out of his mouth and walk easily on his two feet. He could just do it. Garfield remembered hearing Rachel's pleas to a higher power, her cries, her wishes, her confessions, and his dreams. He dreamt that he was married to her with children and they had a large house. He dreamt of a perfect life between them.

"Rae? Are you the one in a coma now?" he joked. She bit her lip and touched his face with a ginger touch. She ran her fingers over his eyebrows and the bridge of his nose. She felt his messy, unshaven chin and stroked his clean head. Garfield suddenly flinched at the coolness of her hands. He raised his own hand to his head and grimaced.

"I'm bald?" He assumed this was one of the outcomes of surgery she had previously mentioned. Garfield began to feel embarrassed at the bareness of the top of his face. "I'm bald! Oh God, I'm bald."

Rachel's lips widened into a frown. How is it that he nearly died and he was only concerned with hair? She grabbed his hands that were currently roaming his head and continued to touch him all around. Rachel ran her fingers over his hardened and crusty scars and reached for the nape of his neck. Her hand moved upwards to the scar on the back of his head. It was the scar he received when trying to be cured of Sakutia. It was the scar that burned whenever he morphed. It was the scar that would never heal. It was also the scar that his medium length, blond hair desperately covered. The scar was the reason he hated barber shops and burning needles. Garfield blinked and looked down at Rachel's exterior. She was smiling.

What was so worth smiling about at a time like this?

"You're happy?" he asked.

Garfield gently grabbed her hands from the back of his neck and kissed her fingers. She nodded at his question and began to laugh at his innocence.

"I love you, Rae."

"I love you too."

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**Leave a review if you're confused or need some more explanations. lol, or PM me. Sorry for the wait, but I'm not gone. I don't quit. Read and Review!**


	30. First

**WHAT? DID YOU THINK I WAS SOME FREAK WITH NO INCENTIVE TO FINISH THINGS I HAD STARTED? HOW DARE YOU. **

**So it is 2:25 AM and I've just finished another chapter. I mean, I shouldn't have taken so long and sorry if this comes off insensitive but I just want you guys to read. You deserve it. lol, if you feel the need to text-type-scream at me for being such a lazy lardbag and not updating. Read on! **

**Disclaimer: I own the idea and nothing else. Not TT or Post-Its. **

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If it had been four months ago, the woman sleeping soundly beside him would actually be under him, writhing in pleasure. She would angrily (but secretly happy) push him away the next morning and force him to leave her dwelling at once. As he would walk bare-chested to his car with a dopey grin on his face, a Post-It note slapped onto his freckled shoulder would tell him what time to return again later that evening so they could resume their _harmless _activities. Casual sex was just…a carnal, easy escape with no strings attached. But it was different now. Garfield's stomach lurched at the thoughts of luring Rachel into a night with him just to let her go in a few weeks. He thanked God that they had gotten not only sexually attracted to each other, but emotionally attached. He scanned his eyes over her still body and felt happiness that they hadn't actually had sex yet. He remembered the embarrassment they had gone through when they tried that one time in the hotel. Garfield looked over at the calendar and sighed. It had been about a year that they'd gone through hell together. And it had been only a week from his brain surgery. Rachel had fought so hard to accommodate him through his physical healing. She set alarms all throughout the apartment to remind her to give him his medicine. Though it made him feel loved by her, his chest pained every time he couldn't find enough strength to get up and help her with something. His coordination had become a bit sloppy and so had his attitude.

_If Rachel found him up, he'd be attacked by harsh words and her leading him back to a place where he could sit up. But instead he was here in the kitchen ignoring her advice. Garfield thought it would be cool to show her that his legs were in working order and that the agonizing events that took place just before Christmas hadn't torn him up too bad. Garfield raised an arm up to grab a glass from a cabinet with one hand keeping him steady on the countertop. He grinned when he was able to hold the glass under a faucet to fill it up with water without wobbling. Suddenly his arm jerked forward and the glass was thrown against the wall above the sink. "Fuck!" He quickly scrambled to clean up the shards sprawled on the marble top but ended tripping and falling onto the floor. He growled at his own stupidity and slapped a hand to his forehead. Before he could take a breath, Rachel was standing above the male with her hand outstretched. In a fit of rage, he quickly pulled himself up and slammed a fist into the wall. "When the hell will I stop freaking twitching like a retard?" Rachel heard these words and kept silent. "Let's go." She led him to the bedroom where his medication was lined up in a clean row and walked out. Garfield felt his ears heat up. Was it necessary for him to act so immature when all she had done was try to help him? _

Garfield turned to Rachel and placed a hand on her shoulder. Gently, he shook her awake. Rachel mumbled something that had usually only been said in her night terrors (that had plagued her since the incident) and he quickly shook her a bit harder. Her eyes fluttered open and she instantly looked over at their alarm clock. "Is it time for Terbizal?" He smiled. No, it wasn't time for any medicine.

"Nah. Babe I just wanted to tell you something."

"Make it quick," she muttered, sitting up and wondering why her boyf-fiancé had woken her up at three-thirty AM.

"Remember last week when I yelled at you and stuff? And I was pissed for being all sick when I should've thanked you for being there for me?" he spoke quickly.

"Garfield, you already apologized. I hate it when you feel remorse for little things. It's not a big deal, I promise. Just go back to sleep."

He bent over and kissed her on the mouth. "Just wanted to make sure," he smiled. She smiled back at him and instantly felt a surge of energy from his touch. Suddenly Garfield found himself nervous under her intent gaze. "I think we should have sex," she blurted. His eyes widened at the words he was so glad to hear her say. "Umm, really? Like now?"

"Well it doesn't have to be right now….if you're not in the mood."

Garfield tried his hardest to suppress his arousal at her dark eyes and sultry voice. They hadn't…consummated during the entire time they had known each other. Garfield thought when the moment came, he'd be so prepared to take the lead and show her what he was made of. But he was nervous. Rachel was something not to be toyed with. This had to be perfect. Rachel continued to look at him with expectant eyes and toyed with his shirt collar. At Garfield's hesitant manner, she began to blush and turn away. "Oh, I just, um, we can do it whenever you're ready."

Garfield instantly grabbed her wrist. "I've been ready since I laid eyes on you." In a swift manner, Rachel's abs were under his rock hard stomach, feeling something else that was also rock hard. She blinked and her clothes were being thrown on the floor beside them.

"I kinda wanted it to be perfect." He bent over and nipped at her neck only to sooth it with his tongue. He couldn't wait to see that bruise in the morning and her annoyed face.

"Garfield, it is. If you were thinking about rose petals and a crappy candlelit room, well, you should know me better by now."

He smiled. "Cool. So we're making love or…fucking?" He whispered the last word quietly as if there were grandmothers surrounding them. She rolled her eyes. "Making love is pure stupidity. To have sex there most already be love in the relationship. And we are not lacking love at all, are we? So we cannot _make _love. And fucking? A fuck is when I'm angry at you for buying something inappropriate on Pay-Per-View. I'll fuck you to prove that the women on TV are not as real as me. You'll fuck me when we're both horny and bored. What we're doing here is called having sex to express love and a mutual gift to each other for pleasure and union."

He shook his head. There she went again with her smartness. "Okay Rachel. Either way, I love you so much I'm gonna show you until you forget your own name. Oh and by the way, if a guy had a woman like you PPV wouldn't even cross his mind," he winked.

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**TT.**

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"Well damn." Their heavy breathing resonated through the room.

"I know."

"Did you like it?"

"Did you like it?"

"It was like heaven."

They waited a few more seconds. What they had just gone through was their first time with each other. A cautious, but trusting experience. A calming, but insistent moment.

"Ummm….you know my meds give me a higher libido. And you know with my "transformation" issue I have more energy than most guys."

"Mmm-hmm."

"So if you wanted to go another round I'm cool with that."

"Tempting. And if I wanted to go another three to four rounds…?"

"I'd be all for it!"

"Well then we'd better get started."

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**Muchas gracias for reading! Review (even if you're pissed I didn't update sooner...)**

**This isn't the end, guys. I need to clean it up and do a lotta 'splaining!**


	31. Nerves

I feel bad guys. I feel bad that I left you hanging. I feel bad that I was lazy. I feel bad that my ideas hit a snag. But...guess what?

_I'm back_. I was reading previous chapters, and wow haha. I wrote this when I was like, 14. You know what I think of when I picture the age 14? Rebecca Black. And that's not a good image. So I was thinking about rewriting it. You know, making it more plausible and intelligent. But perhaps moving onto different fandoms/original writing is the right choice. J.K. Rowling once said that just because a chapter ends a story, the story is never actually _finished_.

But hey, let me just give this little chapter a whirl! (From Garfield's point of view.) And no, nothing here is owned by me. Just the story.

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They say you know when you're in love- whether it's instant or not, there's supposed to be a light bulb moment at one point. We're supposed to feel butterflies in our stomachs or something. Do you think butterflies feel humans in their stomachs when they fall in love? I bet if I ask Rachel that she'll conjure up some kind of boring, logical, and scientific answer. Then I'll use my skills in rhetoric and philosophy to counter her argument. Then we'll fall asleep, with her in my arms positioned just so that she can hear my heartbeat. A couple nights ago she told me that whenever I took naps she liked to bend over me to make sure I was still breathing. Apparently, I'm on some heavy duty meds and we're still working on the right dosage for me. God, I love this woman. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I feel like she's a gift- a legit gift from Heaven. And I swear I have not done anything to deserve her. Ha, I remember just over two years ago me and Vic would head on down to Pandora's Playpen and party the night away with a bunch of airheaded, "hot" chicks. Sadly, I still had the brain of a high school senior. I cursed at women, treated them all like I was their dictator, and never gave a shit of the feelings of others. I still wince when I reminisce on calling Rachel a bitch. She'd laugh, but I know better now. She's no bitch, she's a queen. So I pretty much was a lowlife with no goals, no clue what I wanted in life. Maybe if I was tanner I would have fit in with the Jersey Shore cast.

It's been a while since my surgery. Jeez, I can barely keep track of time! I live day to day pretty normal now since I've been concentrating on my at-home video game designs. (I'm senior director of Cosine Designs. Sweet, huh?) Get this: the next game my company is coming out with has to do with a green hero that falls in love with a fallen angel. Trust me, it's better than it sounds and…you could say it has some real life experience mixed in there. Rachel, on the other hand, has managed to shut down Tryan's shithole business and send the employees to islands across the globe. I'd ask her how, but she'll just smile. While I design from 8am-3pm, Rachel tracks down more mutant people like me and assists the doctors at Tryan's sketchy hospital sect in providing medicine for those afflicted. And Tryan, you ask? That dude's in a place where he belongs. I never want to see that bastard again. Unfortunately he pops up in my dreams, but I can't tell Rachel or she'll give me some anti-anxiety stuff and when I was 5, my mom got on those meds. They made her…different. I know I should trust Rae with the stuff she gives me, but I can't help but think how easy life would be if there was a cure for every ailment. Eh, Rachel could probably figure somethin' out.

Our new house has three bedrooms and two and half baths. I said that we could live in my apartment, but too many memories hide in that place. Then I suggested her humble abode, but she shook her head citing the same reason as me, and decided to put it up for sale. One late Tuesday we were sitting around my coffee table, packing up boxes when she brought up a kid. Darryl. Little dude is only two months old and he was born in South Africa- one of their poverty stricken regions. His mother died during childbirth and his dad is nowhere to be found. Rachel thinks her team has a lead on where he is but we're not entirely sure. Anyway, turns out the Darryl tested positive for Sakutia but he has no signs of mutation. And all I know is that this isn't something that's supposed to be reproducing all over the world. 2 people with Sakutia is enough- me and him. Rachel showed me a picture of the little dude and he has wisps of jet black hair (sort of like Rachel's when I met her) and the bluest eyes I've ever seen (like my dad's). Apparently his mother was South African and his dad was some traveler from Bulgaria. Adorable little guy they made!

But I've got to be honest with you. It was a shock finding out there was someone else like me. And a baby, no less. So I kind of got the vibe that Rachel wants a _kid_. We haven't talked about that full-on though. Whenever someone brings it up she'll shake her head and claim that raising a child just isn't in the plans for now. But note that. _For now_. We've had a lot of practice in babymaking but every time Darryl is brought up, I just feel that she aches for a child. And I can't lie because I do too. But hey, there's a time and place for everything, right?

When we bought the house Rachel had a few specifics.

1)A basement

2) A big yard

3) A walk in closet for the master bedroom

Now tell me that doesn't sound like a house for a family. I didn't question why she wanted those things intensely but I did give her a nervous side glance when she said the rooms need to be big enough for twin beds… I know what you're thinking…when are we getting married? It's not that I haven't had the guts to kneel down and officially ask her. I mean, we _are _living together and we _have _had indirect conversations about children so it's obvious the goal is to spend our life together, right? Let me run down what happened last night:

_Garfield slowly appeared from the bathroom, wearing only his boxers and holding his toothbrush between his teeth. _

"_Rae? What time should I set the alarm?" _

_Rachel was already under the covers with only her head peering out. Apparently, she was reading a book. Noticeably enthralled, she dug deeper into the bed's comforter while letting her mind run free in herbook._

"_Mmhmm."_

_Garfield quickly finished up in the bathroom and slipped into the covers beside her. He then flicked his night lamp off, curled an arm around her waist, and watched her squirm out of his reach._

"_Gar, stop."_

"_What's wr-Oh hey, what's this?" Suddenly, before Rachel could even blink, the small novel between her hands was now being possessed by her male counterpart and it could take a while for her to regain it._

"_101 Baby Names? Babe, what is this? What the hell? What kind of name is Noble? Guillaume?"_

"_Gar, give it back!" _

"_Wait a second! Why is Elvira circled? Why did you highlight Gabriel?"_

_Rachel let out a breath and rolled her eyes. "I was…unoccupied this entire day and so I decided to purchase a book on baby names and then-"_

"_Babe. Tell me you don't think Elvira is a pretty girl name!"_

_She raised an eyebrow. "I think it's very classy. What's wrong with it?"_

_Garfield quickly shook his head and laughed. "What about a Kelsey or Natalie?"_

"_Too plain," she snapped. He grinned at her and began to skim over her other choices. _

"_A good guy name is Noah or Damian, right?"_

_She shrugged. "I like Javier and Zane more."_

"_Babe," Garfield said while leaning over to kiss Rachel on her forehead, "you're a hard woman to please."_

_She grabbed the book out of his hands and placed it on her nightstand. "And you like that."_

_Before Rachel switched her lamp off, she felt a hand on her thigh and his other hand pull her closer._

"_Yeah, I do." _

And that was that. It's just that a lot has happened since…the fiasco and my surgery and all so I guess we're just looking for some downtime to ourselves. I get the feeling that no matter how secretive Rachel is with me, I still need to make conversation with her. I read is some women magazine that communication is key to successful relations so maybe I'll get started on that tomorrow. I'll lure her into the office and start to give her a backrub. Then she'll get relaxed and I'll ask if she wants some wine. Then instead of moaning and sweating tomorrow night, we'll just talk. Just talk. I'm nervous about how that'll go, but no matter what happens, I know I've got her with me.

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So yeah, that was Gar's POV. Hopefully you can see that he has matured into a more confident, loving man. The next chapter is from Rachel's POV.

If you have any suggestions, SERIOUSLY, please please let me know. I really like to get a feel for what you guys think. Should they have kids? Hehehe, a hard choice.

Again, I apologize for the wait. But hopefully it was worth it?


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